In general, I’m not as smart as most ADF folks. I’m not an intellectual or a philosopher; I’m not even a liturgist. I’ve always thought of myself as a “hands-on” pagan, meaning I like to learn skills and history, rather than theories. It reads in the “Idiots Guide to Paganism” that “some pagans consider the pagan path a way of life instead of a religion”, which is precisely how I view my part in the web of ADF. And though I often find myself under the impression that the “intellectual” pagans are more important and special in ADF, I think both should be considered “fertile.”
Fertility, I guess simply put, is creation. Sure it’s great to talk about sex and the pride of being a fertile woman or couple, but creation is the act of creating more than just babies. Writing songs, painting a picture, even developing your mind and spirit is an act of fertility.
Many Native American tribes believe fertility is a form of purification. The sweat lodge itself is a fertility rite that symbolizes purification in the “womb”, and totem poles act as phallic symbols containing stories of the native peoples. They also hold rituals for fertile crops, and fertile herds of buffalo so that they may hunt and survive.
Obviously there are many ways of looking at fertility, fertility of the mind, fertility of the body, fertility of creation and consumption.
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