The mailing list is discussing the place of "universal love" in Wicca. It's in reference to a YouTube post in which the author expressed not being able to understand how you can call yourself Wicca if you don't believe in universal love and the Principles of Wiccan Belief.
She focuses upon the 13th principle, which reads "We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being." Ok, a little vague perhaps, but decent. But how does that equate to "universal love"? How does working toward *my* health and well-being comment at all about how I deal with the rest of the world?
Personally, I find the notion of "universal love" to mostly be an empty phrase, used when someone is trying to convince you either that his or her religion is great or harmless.
The mere notion of "love" is difficult enough to codify. Some people do certainly express their relationship with their gods as one bound by love. I'm certainly not going to comment one way or the other on someone else's personal gnosis, but that certainly isn't how I would describe my relationship.
My gods are the force behind nature. Nature doesn't love. Nature balances, often violently. My relationship with them is not fearful or meek either, but its not what I would call love. Sometimes my gods give me a kick in the butt. That's not out of "tough love." That's cause and effect. And just to be clear, it's a fantastic relationship. I wouldn't dream of walking away from it. But I don't find "love" to be the right word for it, and it certainly doesn't translate into "universal love."
There are plenty of people in this world who do not deserve my love. That doesn't mean I'm planning to do them harm, which is often the dichotomy that people fall into. Life has more options than just love and hate. There's a very wide spectrum of possibilities and experiences.
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I'm new to reading your blog (and I love your site by the way!) but I do feel that I had to say how I'm perceiving this argument -
Perhaps "Universal Love" relates to the principle because if we are growing and caring for our own well-being, we in turn contribute to the well-being of others. When we are not well (at least spiritually and mentally) we bring our woes upon others. I like to think these things to myself when I start to feel like burdening everyone with my own mental anxieties. It feels good to transfer your distress to others, but it is possible to handle it on your own. And this kind of personal work does contribute to the overall well being of society by not adding more emotional poison into the atmosphere.
Those people who aren't deserving of love are the ones that are the least well. But by taking care of ourselves we aren't physically giving each and every person love, just the universe as a whole.
I hope all that made sense!
Looking forward to reading more of your writing : )
See. I knew I didn't just look at your stuff every now and then so I could argue against it.
Well, really, it's normally only when I do disagree that I have something to say in a comment.
Here though, yep I'm with you. I would say that I do love my gods and I do think I they love me, but that's a big step from any view of "Universal Love", nor from expecting every aspect of dealing with them to be about love.
For a start, when has Wicca had a universal anything? Trad Wicca certainly doesn't (small tribe with small gods) and this I always thought was somewhere where most other witches (including the avowedly non-Wiccan) were, for once, in large agreement.
For another way of looking at the statement you criticise here, even though it does seem to be a strange reading of one of the 13 principles (though far from the strangest), since when were the 13 principles accepted by all Wiccans. Apart from its American parochialism, there are plenty of American witches that don't agree with them either.