Diving into SITS 1x02
five funny faith-based feuds
What’s up, swimmers? We’re back!
A HUGE THANK YOU to you all for the enthusiasm and support around the launch of this project! I’m just pinching myself to be surrounded by such gorgeous, bright, wonderful folks.
(And if you’re still thinking about making the leap to being a paid pal, I do still have a few slots left for those mailed tarot offerings! See the WELCOME post for more details!)
I hope you’re hanging in after yesterday’s Full Moon in Aquarius, and this week’s heat wave 🥵.
It was a hard week for us in NYC, especially Gus, our Boston terrier who couldn’t go to the dog park for 3 whole days! The horror! But things have cooled off just enough for us to get outside, and I hope that wherever you are, you’re also finding ways to beat the heat.
Either way, I’m here to offer you an hour of escape from indoor boredom or some fun company as you walk around your neighborhood to drive to/from work!
Keep reading for a very exciting event announcement, an update on our DUNE deep dive, and a sneak peek of what to expect from this week’s episode of SITS–along with visual aids!
Listen in full by clicking the button below or heading to the Substack post, and be sure to let me know what you dig from the episode! xx
THE GATHERING OF WITCHES 2022
I’m so excited to announce that I will be both your teacher and your host at the second annual Gathering of the Witches, A Weekend of Magic, Inspiration, and Transformation- Online, the weekend of October 21st – 23rd !
I’ll be teaching alongside Judika Illes, Arin Murphy Hiscock, and many other magical teachers for what is sure to be a wonderfully witchy weekend! This inspirational event is all about empowering your magical potential and learning how a magical practice can foster transformation in your life.
This will NOT be a lecture only event! Instead, you can expect an interactive weekend filled with workshops to help you deepen your magical practice. You’ll be able to engage with me, other teachers, and other participants in real time! Plus, all sessions will be recorded, and you will have 6 months access to review all workshops at your leisure!
If you pre-order my book, The Witch’s Book of Numbers, before August 31st, the festival sponsor, Insight Events, will give you $50 off your ticket!
I hope to see you there!
DUNE UPDATE!
The response to reading DUNE has been super rad, honestly. A lot of us have been wanting to read it, some are excited by the lenses through which we’re going to read, and even one person shared that they’ve been waiting for someone to tackle Dune who isn’t a straight cis man. So, ready to come atcha with my femme queer lens, and also some explorations of climate change and eco-fascism and patriarchy—all of the fun things we’ve done as a species. Good work team! 🥴
So, what’s the plan?
I talk about this more in full in Episode 1x02, but essentially, here’s how this is going to work:
We’ll be reading 100 pages per week for 8 weeks! This means that our DUNE read-thru will last from August 12 to October 7.
The every other week SITS drops will stay short and sweet and focused on the key takeaways for those who are digging it, while still covering other topics for those who aren’t.
But because I think there will likely be so much to talk about, I am going to release separate DUNE-only episodes for my paid pals. Hopefully weekly, but TBD.
I’m toying with the idea of hosting a live Book Club meeting on Zoom. Date TBD, but would be in early October. Will likely poll y’all as we get into the book to gauge interest.
THIS WEEK ON SITS…
If you follow me Instagram, you’re likely familiar with my Sunday blasphememes! If not, they’re weekly drops of memes & tweets that poke fun at mainly Christianity, but also the construct and history of religion.
What you may not know, is that before I identified as a witch, I very much chose to participate in, and find Divine connection through, organized religion. Keeping up this tradition, and the community interaction that’s built up around it, has been super amazing for my own deconditioning.
This week’s episode of SITS carries on my love of marrying humor with religion, as we take a look at five funny faith-based feuds.
Listen to the whole shebang [here], which also includes some sweet stats about non-denominational Christianity, fluctuating trust in the Church, and the rising population of the religiously unaffiliated in the United States, but let’s meet our fighters, shall we?
1. HILDEGARD VON BINGEN VS. THE ABBOT KUNO
Hildegard von Bingen was an 11th Century German nun, mystic and artist. She lived at the convent of Disibodenberg from the age of 7, and eventually became its Mother Abbess. Her unique visions and creations were legitimized by Pope Eugenius, and many people came to visit Hildegard and receive her wisdom.
Hildy ultimately wanted to leave Disibodenberg to start her own convent, but her request was denied by the Abbot Kuno. What begins as a stand-off between two religious powers ultimately turns into a wild story of paralysis and “Divine” intervention.
For more on Hildegard, listen to this multi-episode series from DOTS Podcast, as well as her entry in the World History Encyclopedia.
2. MICHELANGELO VS. BIAGIO DE CESENA
Twenty-five years after the Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he was commissioned by Pope Paul III to paint a new fresco. “The Last Judgment,” which covers the entirety of the chapel’s altar wall, is an intricate, masterful fresco.
But not everyone saw it that way.
Find out which of Michelangelo’s critics was his inspiration for this striking and NSFW inclusion of Minos, the judge of Hell.
For more on Michelangelo’s famed feud, read Through Eternity Tour’s reflections on Nudity and Controversy in the Sistine Chapel or discover 10 Secrets of the Sistine Chapel from Michelangelo.org.
3. THE BROTHERS GEEF VS. THE CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL
When the Cathedral of St. Paul in Liege, Belgium wanted a new statue to really make their church pop, they hired local sculptor Joseph Geefs to create a version of Lucifer, the fallen angel. Unfortunately, they didn’t expect him to be so sublime… They also didn’t expect what would happen when they replaced Joseph with his own bother Guillame!
Find out more about The Brothers Geef in Theophane Avery’s You Sexy Devil or Art History News’s piece, The Devil is Too Sublime.
4. THE SATANIC TEMPLE VS. THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
In the mid 2010s, The Satanic Temple’s Arkansas chapter attempted to resurrect an 8-foot statue of the horned figure Baphomet in front of the State Capitol Building.
Why? To protest the plan to install a statue of The 10 Commandments.
According to the Constitutional right to freedom of religion, the Temple felt it was only fair to erect both statues. Things escalate… quickly.
Learn more about the Satanic Temple’s fight for religious freedoms in the documentary Hail Satan! or the AP News coverage of the Arkansas Capitol unveiling.
5. THE ARK ENCOUNTER VS. ALLIED WORLD ASSURANCE COMPANY
In a deeply ironic and unexpected turn of events, heavy floods threatened the access roads leading to The Ark Encounter’s “life-sized recreation of Noah’s Ark, an attraction advertised as the closest to the legendary ship of the Bible that modern civilization can build.” (x)
But will their insurance cover it?
Read more about this recently settled lawsuit on the Courier Journal.
Until next time, just keep swimming! xx
Connect with me further at www.rebeccascolnick.com or @beescolnick on Instagram!