Writer's Block: Carrying the Cultural Torch

[gurdymonkey]

[Error: unknown template qotd]The only reason I'm answering this was because I Viewed Other Answers and couldn't believe my eyes.

Does NO ONE know the difference between a habit and a tradition? Judging from the first page of other answers that popped up, you'd think not. What part of "carrying the cultural torch" are these people not getting?

Brushing your teeth is not a tradition.

Tradition is something handed down. It's something you do because your family or your community did it and now you're the generation to do it and pass it on to the next.

My Irish Catholic grandmother always kept a votive candle lit in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary on the tall dresser in her bedroom. Always.

My mother has her own votive candle and statue.

As the child of a Catholic and a Jew I had to reconcile myself pretty early on to the idea that there is no One True Way and that spiritual fulfillment is where one finds it.  Not long after I moved into this place, I picked up a package of Japanese incense, hoping to drive away the fresh paint smells coming from the apartment my landlord was re-doing on the second floor. Long after the paint odors had faded, I continued to light incense, because I found that I liked it.

I also found myself lighting it for other reasons. Those on my F-list have seen me write "Incense is lit" in response to requests for prayers, positive thoughts or crossed fingers. The lighting of incense is a symbol of prayer or intention or whatever you want to call it. It's an offering, whether it be made in a Buddhist temple or the Vatican. The same is true of the lighting of votive candles. (Tangential thought: modern fire codes have resulted in these horrible electric "candles" in most churches nowadays. Drop a coin and press a button. It just isn't the same.)

My nose tells me that if I have a stick of Nippon Kodo going in a bowl on the second floor, the smoke rises at least as far as my garret. I cannot say if it rises high enough to be noticed and appreciated by a deity. It is one of those things we humans do to mark our hopes for ourselves and those around us, to bring us comfort in "interesting times", as the proverb describes it.

Comments

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Since God is all around us, if you can smell it so can God. And God understands intentions better than we think.
Basically, You smell the incense, you remember why you lit it, and say a little prayer again. Subconscious, don't even really think about it. And God hears them all. The Universe is like that. :)
So it is all good.
I don't like electric candles either, but I understand the fear of fire, and the mess that a poorly placed wax candle can produce. When we light candles in the house, it is always a matter of how can we place them so they don't cause a fire and the mess is easy to clean up. I do have an electric menorah for those times when I want to place one in the window or very young grandkids are running around. Better safe than sorry.

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

In my personal religious tradition, God/Deity/Spirit is not only always around us, but within us as well. Both Transcendent and Imminent. And we, in our own poor limited understanding, are still yet a part of the vast immeasurableness of What God Is. So, though I was raised by European parents (of mixed religious heritage, and also am, by spiritual calling, a Modern Pagan), burning incense in the Chinese spiritual manner (like my husband's family) also feels so very Not Wrong. I believe that "What Is" Male, Female, Plural Etc.) is simply greater and also more benevolent and understanding than any single religious tradition can encompass, and there are multiple "appropriate paths" to reach it. Furthermore, "What Is" is very, very flexible, understands that individual human perception changes, and That's Still OK.

In my family's spiritual and sociological traditions, I a) do not wear shoes in the house (and ask my guests to do the same due to the cleanliness factor), b) proudly fly the American Flag on every July 4th, c) put chocolates and marzipan in my children's shoes on December 6th (St. Nicholas Day), d) do celebratory "ritual" for each major event in my children's lives (ie: light a candle and express prayerful hopes for their future when they start attending a new school.... etc. etc.

Edit: I can't type....:p (not responsible for any more mistakes I forgot to correct due to late hour and tiredness... :p)

[silk-noir.livejournal.com]

If someone lights an electric candle, how can any self-respecting deity appreciate that? 'Holy smoke' isn't just a saying.

[jenri.livejournal.com]

This is a very thought provoking and beautiful post--interesting and inspiring. Glad that you took the time to write it.

[the-ri.livejournal.com]

where ever I live, there is one thing that must be hung before everything else, and stay up in the house no matter what. When my father retired early to join the nimatullahi sufi order and moved to Italy to be the caretaker of a worship house - he gave this item to me. I've had it since I was 14.

It's a buddha. Yes, I know - muslim father giving you a buddha? yes. My dad has spent most of his life studying and learning in as many theologies as possible. He outwardly says that none of them are wrong, yet none of them are right.

So, this buddha painting of his was always hung in the bathroom of his flat in San Francisco while I was growing up. He said he put it there so that he knew that someone would have his back when he was naked and vulnerable.

As a result, I've always kept it hung in the bathroom. The Han Bastard, however, is a pretty educated buddhist, and decided that it made him uncomfortable to have it there - so now it hangs in the hallway just outside the bathroom door.

Buddha gets a nod from me everytime I go to shower. He's totally got my back

[silk-noir.livejournal.com]

Oh, and by the way, I'm silk_noir, a writer, SCAdian, and mommy.

Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier!