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Articles/Essays From Pagans
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November 22nd. 2009 ...
Rethinking Pagan Discrimination
Caveat Mentor, or Watch That First Step!
Ten Dumb Reasons To Join A Coven
Interview With Openly Pagan Elected Official, Jessica Orsini
Creating My Book of Shadows
Intolerance: A Curable Disease
Loving Spiritual Diversity
Good Vibrations
November 15th. 2009 ...
Recovering From a Bad Coven Experience
You Are Not A Tool
The Dangers of Virtual Reality and Magickal Life: A True Story
Diary of a High Priestess
When Religious Intolerance Destroys Friendship
Thinking With Your Heart
Beauty in Death
In that Moment: “Understanding Born From Sorrow”
Raining Down A Different Kind of Peace
November 8th. 2009 ...
Why Many of Us Will Never Be Christian (No Matter How Hard We Try)
Making Your Life Magical
Soul Connection: The Means to Finding Your Life Purpose
How I Met My Soul Mate. Twice
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust: Thoughts on Love and Loving
Love and the Use Of Magick
Spiritual Transformation
Follow the Yellowbrick Road: Sometimes Staying on the Path Takes a Miracle!
The Path: A Spiritual Chautauqua
November 1st. 2009 ...
My Magic Doesn't Work! (Because It Sometimes Doesn't)
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Paganism
The Breath and Faking It
Coming Out Of The "Broom Closet"
Profound Fruit Loops
Magick and Science
I Want To Live A While Longer
"Me Time"
October 25th. 2009 ...
Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone Touring East Coast USA for Samhain
Lemon Magic
My Black Kitty
Autumnland: Pagan Path and Paradise
The Modern Coven: Importance of Documentation
Crossroads Rite (Version 11)
Perceptions of Life
The Challenge of Acceptance
The Circle of Life
October 18th. 2009 ...
Honoring Our Elders, Leaders and Teachers
Space Clearing: A Fresh Look at a Classic Tradition
Group or Solitary: Which Is Best For You?
Which Witch is Which? The Importance of Scientific Terminology.
Soap Making 101
How I Maintain My Spiritual Practice in a War Zone
To Be or Not To Be – In Pagan Business
"Fusion" Magick
October 11th. 2009 ...
Italy, Clavicles and Witchcraft
The Fairies of Samhain
Horns of Gold, Horns of Red: The God as a Sacred Focus
The Veil as Seen Through the Eyes of a Witch
Owl Mythology, Folklore, and Magical Interpretation
A Celtic "Young Goodman Brown"
October 4th. 2009 ...
What Should I Put In My Book of Shadows?
How Do You Draw Your Pentagram?
Your Book Of Shadows
How I Became a Wiccan
Five-Point Witches’ Self-Healing Plan
The Responsiblity of Elders of Pagan Paths
My Curse
Thoughts on Death
Dinosaurs and Druidry
September 27th. 2009 ...
When I Was A Christian Wiccan
Shamanism: Seeing in the Dark
Dream Invasion: What It Is and How to Stop it
The Warrior Archetype and the Reemergence of the Goddess
Twittermancy and Open Sourcery
Past Life, Present Mission
The Burning Times: May We Never Forget
Ophiuchus, the 13th Constellation: A Call for Change
Changes: Facing Them and Making Them
September 20th. 2009 ...
How I Found My Craft Name (and Tips on Finding Yours!)
Life Without End: Death From A Pagan Perspective
Creating Your Reality
My Road To Wicca
Officiating At A Crossing Over Ceremony
NOTE: For a complete list of articles related to this chapter... Visit the Main Index FOR this section.
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America's Guardians
Author:
Posted: September 23rd. 2001
Times Viewed: 3,922
Who are the Guardians of America? Are they the same Guardians who were here when the Iroquois nation ruled? Are they the ones the immigrants from 1000 countries brought here? Or, (as I am more inclined to believe) are they something completely new, created like this country out of the values, beliefs and folklore of the people who helped this country grow over the years? What about Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam? Could they be the new Guardians of this land? And the most important question, why aren't we, as American Pagans, using them?
But, you ask, where did they come from, why do they strike a such a chord with Americans everywhere, and what about them could possibly be magickal? Lady Liberty is most commonly represented by the Statue of Liberty. Her history, like that of Americans themselves, is a little on the shady side. Most know the story about France's gift, but few know that she was created by the artist as an enormous political statement to France, and maybe all of Europe. Her journey across the Atlantic mirrored that of immigrants; very confined, and very dangerous. Uncle Sam was made to represent the everyday American. He grew out of legend, and nobody knows the real story behind his creation. Except, of course, maybe him. Thanks to their histories, these images are more American than their creators could have ever hoped.
The Statue of Liberty stands in New York harbor, not too far from where the Twin Towers once stood... She stands with the light of democracy raised over her head, a crown of the sun's own rays, and broken shackles at her feet. She was created by a Frenchman named Frederic Bartholdi as a giant monument of propaganda against the then strict French government. When she got here, after weeks at sea, in 300 pieces in 200 crates, her pedestal wasn't even completed. Joseph Pulitzer and his New York World's grassroots efforts finally got her some place to stand in 1886, two years after her completion. Once put together, she stood 15 stories high, dwarfing the 4 and 5 story buildings that made up New York at the time. She was placed to look outwards towards Europe in hopes that those nations would soon recognize the values and strength in her, and maybe change their own ways.
The legend behind Uncle Sam is that in the War of 1812, a butcher named Sam Wilson supplied rations to the military. Each barrel he sent was marked U.S. Some joker pointed out that the U.S. on the barrels could stand for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The story spread, and Uncle Sam became a national symbol, favorite of political cartoonists everywhere. His image was not modeled after Sam Wilson, though. It was modeled after Abraham Lincoln; the man that held us together when we were trying so hard to rip ourselves apart. Cartoonists have used him for years to symbolize both the best and worst of America and its government, and he is one of the most recognizable images in our nation.
Magickly, Lady Liberty embodies two faces of the Goddess, the maiden and the mother. The first images to represent the American continent were of a mostly naked woman. She was voluptuous and exotic, embodying what explorers thought of the new continent. As the continent grew tamer, she gained some clothes and became more Greek in appearance, but still retained a feather headdress; becoming a cross between Athena and Pocahontas. Around colonial times she became purely American. Sometimes she was shown feeding a bald eagle to show her connection with freedom, sometimes with a rattlesnake to show that she, like the rattlesnake, only attacked when provoked and always gave warning. She was often shown as a warrior maiden, with sword and shield in hand or by her side. As the Statue of Liberty, she is the Mother. In fact, her face was modeled after the creator's own mother, and her strong arms after the mother of his children, his wife. Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus" calls her the "Mother of Exiles". "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." She is indeed, the Great Mother of America, welcoming newcomers with her torch and giving all who wish harm to our country a stern, mother's gaze.
Uncle Sam is less easy to define. His meanings can be so diverse because he is the average American as well as America's Guardian. He's the ultimate father figure, like in an old Warner Brothers cartoon where he teaches Porky Pig American History, or as the good-natured man on stilts handing out candy to children at a Fourth of July parade. However, he becomes the warrior when our country is angered. His is the image shown taking off the gloves, rolling up the sleeves, flame-eyed. Uncle Sam is the one who demands that we enlist in the U.S. Army. Political cartoonists around the world often use Uncle Sam's image to lampoon our government, but as shown last Tuesday, when Americans need him, he stands tall and proud, ready to defend.
I say American Pagans should use these images in their magick for the country. Visualize the Statue of Liberty's torch raised high over the land, casting a protective glow over the whole country. Maybe change the color of the flame in your mind to match your working. When doing a working to inspire wisdom in our leaders, put Uncle Sam's hat on their heads. Also, call on them, work with them to protect our country. Give Liberty her sword and let her stand guard, let Sam roll up his sleeves to get some work done.
Legend has it that during the blitz, British Witches united to save England's shores from Hitler. I don't know if that story is true, but I'd like to believe it. I'd also like to believe that in Her time of need, American Pagans from all corners would do the same thing. Use these Guardians of American spirit to protect our homes and families. 300 million Americans believe in Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam, use that energy and do some good.
Amanda
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