Kairosean Kithen Wiccan Tradition - Kairosean Kithen Tradition Basics

The Kairosean Kithen tradition was originally developed as a inter-faith/Universalist group, to support people from various Pagan and other faiths, re-exploring how they understood the Divine and the practice of religion. Over time, it became more focused on a Universalist Pagan/Wiccan approach. Much of its standards are revisions of the WCC/Odyssean tradition, because our Elder was an ordained priestess for the WCC Ottawa Temple in the 1980s (which no longer exists). However, the Kairosean Kithen approach is significantly different: and therefore, many of the standards have been altered to reflect that. The Kairosean Kithen tradition developed throughout the 1980s, and eventually became a teaching tradition over time, serving over 200 students across North America.

Kairos – the ripeness of time, time of radical transformation

Kithen – the collective of kith (non-blood family or community)

The Operative Principles or Tenets of the Kairosean traditions are not rigid dogmas or creeds. Rather, they are commonly held tenets (within the tradition), describing the nature of Nature, the Universe, and the Divine to the best of our present understanding, and held as constantly subject to new insight and re-evaluation.

1. UNIFIED DIVINE We affirm (#1) that there is a Unified Presence/Power within and embracing the Universe a Wholism of all potential attributes of ex~IS~tense in all its manifested and un-manifested states:

A) therefore, this Unified Presence/Power is immanent in all Creation

B) therefore, all Creation is Its Expression, and therefore, sacred and holy

C) therefore, this Unified Presence/Power can not be defined or described as a distinct BE~ing (Goddess, God, deity)

D) therefore, while this Unified Presence/Power is beyond humyn (and genderized) definition and description, it is best understood as Primal Womb

2. POLARITY We affirm that the basic operative mode of the Divine (as expressed in Gaia and to Gaian humyns) is Polarity:

A) therefore, the Divine can be described as a polarity of femel-like and male-like qualities the Goddess and the God, as well as other Polarities, such as yang/yin, or soul/spirit

B) therefore, Polarity is always an equality of 'both extents'; but operates by stressing or expressing one more than the other (more 'apparent' and less 'apparent') at any one moment, in a constant process of re-balancing

C) therefore, the truest expression of the Divine and attitude towards the Divine for Gaians, is that which is 'both/and' or polaric.

3. EVOLUTION We affirm that an aspect of the essential nature of the Divine is to Express Itself in an infinite evolution of creativity:

A) therefore, all forms and developments of Creation are part of an evolutionary Expression of the Divine

B) therefore, all forms and developments of Gaian consciousness are also part of an evolutionary Expression of the Divine

C) therefore, all Gaian religions and cultures are also an evolutionary Expression of the Divine, and represent a singular Gaian evolutionary heritage

4. UNIVERSALISM We affirm that the Expression of the Divine is in an eternal state of evolution, in all Time and all Space, and through all Creation:

A) therefore, all aspects of Consciousness are Expressions of the Divine, whether they are what Gaian humyns would call 'animated' or not

B) therefore, Gaia Herself is consider an Expression of the Divine, as is any star or planet

C) therefore, all Gaian religions and cultures have wisdoms and warnings to offer all of us (as our Gaian heritage) and are worthy of our study and consideration

D) therefore, all Star Kin, should we encounter them, are also part of the evolutionary Expression of the Divine, and are considered equally children of the Divine

E) therefore, all aspects of Creation/ex~IS~tense are aspects of the Expression of the Divine; and therefore, all areas of scientific study/theory are equally valid as 'myth and symbol' in understanding the Expressions of the Divine

5. RESPONSIBILITY We affirm that, as children Expressions of the Divine, we are responsible and committed to actively and faithfully expressing the Divine and participating in Its evolution, within our own lives, to the best of our ability:

A) therefore, this responsibility is addressed to our own selves, our fellow humyns, all cultures and religions, all Gaian life forms, Gaia Herself, and any encounter with the rest of the Universe and other Star Kin

#1 - the word 'affirm' is intended to mean 'to the best of our present understanding and intuition'

#2 - the word 'Gaian' refers to our particular planet, as a living Expression of the Universe, and all Her particular attributes and creatures

The Kairosean tradition though essentially based on Wiccan principles is inclusive of practicing members of all faiths, who are committed to upholding the above tenets within their own spiritual praxis.

Although not part of the tenets, the following are standard principles of the Kairosean tradition:

1. UNIFIED DIVINE

1) the Divine can be understood as the wholistic collective psyche of all Its manifested/expressed and potential attributes. Some folks are against the psychologizing of religions, but spirituality is an activity of the psyche. The term 'psycheology' can be used to describe the workings of the interface between the microcosmic psyche of the individual and the macrocosmic psyche of the Divine

2) the term "unified" is used specifically to infer a wholism of attributes/aggregates, rather than a singular BE~ing otherwise, referred to, in other faiths, as 'the Godhead behind the God', 'the bright darkness holding all light', and the 'emptiness from which all things come', etc.

3) the Divine is a Wholism beyond our capacity to define, describe, know or even really intuit: however, humyns need terms and descriptions to be able to conceive mentally, think/analyze and communicate. In all honest humility, we acknowledge that our descriptions and terms are mere metaphoric attempts to 'grasp the ungraspable' and are always subject to re-evaluation. The term 'Godde' is used as a synonym for 'the Divine', but focuses on the 'unit of all possible Goddess/God archetypes and images', rather than the 'oneness'.

4) in the present scientific world, the Primal Womb might also be considered the original Black Hole of the Big Bang, and/or Dark Matter of the Universe (note that the term 'Dark Matter' has the same roots as 'Dark Mother')

2. POLARITY

1) although anthropomorphic figures may be used (as archetypal images), we do not understand either the Goddess or the God as Beings, but rather as the collective attributes/aggregates/qualities of the two polaric extents of the Divine Wholism. We consider these attributes more in a metaphysical context, than a deific context.

2) we recognize that it is possible that other living worlds may operate on a basic principle other than Polarity (Gaian humyns are biased towards the principle of polarity because of their polaric genderization); but as ours is, we continue to explore what the Universe, based on Polarity, means scientifically, psychologically, spiritually, etc.

3) some of the basic divisions (biases) within Polarity are i) gatheredness and separateness; ii) space and time; iii) context and focus; iv) content and directed activity.

In general, the Goddess primarily represents the principle of all aspects of gathered-ness, space, context and content: the God, all aspects of separateness, time, focus and directed activity. However, within Polarity, neither is passive or negative, in the usual sense. Both are 'active' at all times for example, gatheredness is active 'drawing into a gatheredness' (i.e. if the force of 'drawing in' weren't constant active, all gathered would separate): context is the action of maintaining a particular set of qualities or circumstances, which moulds and influences any focus because humyns focus their attention on 'focus', they tend to not acknowledge the 'activity' of context.

Neither is 'separateness' considered negative (as is often the case in our culture) separateness is a necessary attribute by which 'things' come into 'be~ing' as specific things. One could only BE some~thing if one was not being 'some~thing else'. This is a basic principle of ex-pression (pressing out from something therefore, separating) and ex~IS~tense (taken as 'metaphorically literally', means 'out from the wholistic IS into tension' which allows it to move, act, be, become). Furthermore, we recognize that the two are totally interdependent – no thing or act is one or the other, but a particular balance of both.

4) Polarity operates via the whole 'stretching itself' into an operative (though not always actual) separation, thereby causing a tension. If that tension were static, no~thing would ever BE or DO: to BE or DO: the tension must be constantly moving towards a bias or one extent or the other, within an overall balance literally, a zig-zagging (one reason why the serpent is such a strong and positive image in Wicca: its movement is an archetypal symbol of the nature of Polarity in its movement). At times, then, what we refer to as the Goddess nature within ourselves or the workings of the world will be stronger; at other times, the God nature but always interdependent.

5) 'both/and' is a term to describe a state or position taken that incorporates a polaric understandings of any situation, rather than the dualistic 'either-or'. While the zig-zag movement of polaric tension ensures that the balance keeps changing (by which time/space and we change), a 'both/and' position/attitude attempts to integrate as much of both polaric extents as is possible.

For example, we understand all humyns as being representatives/Expressions of both the Goddesses and the God (despite gender biasing), or that each of us is both 'a daughter of the Goddess and a son of the God' in our own way, or as having both soul and spirit.

3. EVOLUTION

1) Evolution (similar to Teilhard de Chardin's 'Omega Force') can be suggested as the primary 'face of the God' in the following attempt at metaphysically describing primordial creation --

Primal Womb embracing principles of

– gatheredness and separateness, who conceive the principles of

– space and time, who conceive

– universe and evolution

2) humyn Gaian evolution can be considered as consistent with the evolution of a single individual –

fetal: proto-humynoid, first awareness of self and cycles of the world

infant: Totemistic, sympathetic magic total dependence on environment (as a semi-unidentified mother figure), but with 'dawning' awareness of their role within it

childhood: Goddess worship growing awareness of humyn influence on the world, but still primarily dependent on Mother

adolescence: Patriarchy growing attempt to control nature, with little awareness of consequences, rebelling against home/Mother necessary to develop individual identify and self-individuation

youth/young adulthood: present stage growing recognition of responsibility on a global level and integration of past heritage (all world cultures globalization); reconciliation with Mother (or both parents)

adulthood: future stage leaving home (the planet not necessarily that we leave the planet, but we begin thinking in terms of the wider Universe) and learning to live responsibly as an individual in the greater environment (ie. child becomes not only adult, but parent)

A goal of the Kairosean tradition is to

a) integrate the past heritage of our species which includes recognizing the wisdoms and warnings implicit in all world religions and cultures

b) take responsibility within our own lives for being in the present 'youth' stage of our species' evolution, and evolving through it

c) consider, by re-evaluating our species' past, how we can participate in or 'midwife' the evolution of our species towards the realized adult stage (of becoming parent to our world and our own evolution).

We acknowledge that no one person can do this on their own, but that each one of us will participate, as we best can, in certain aspects of this goal - even just within our own lives. The Kairosean Kithen tradition exists to support individuals and groups to participate in this goal.

4. UNIVERSALISM

1) the Kairosean Kithen tradition holds, as does quantum science, that even electrons have something akin to consciousness. Since all manifested things – whether animate or not – have electrons, all things participate in something akin to consciousness and psyche. It also holds that there are volumer and volumer wholisms/'fields'/'spheres' of consciousness (similar to Rupert Sheldrake's 'morphogenetic fields' and Jung's 'collective unconscious') that all things in the Universe are connected via these 'collective fields/spheres of consciousness', and therefore, we can and should learn to attune to them, resonate with them, and equally influence them as they influence us that that, in fact, is what 'responsible magic' is.

2) Gaia is a living being, with all the inherent rights of a living being. She has been our Mother, and while She continues to be, we (at this 'youth' stage) have responsibilities towards Her well-being as well.

3) the likelihood is that we are not alone in the Universe. All Star Kin, as children of the Divine, also have all the inherent rights of a living being to be honoured and respected once we encounter them.

4) science is equally 'a description of the Expression of the Divine' as myth and symbol; and in this day and age, offers significant images of the Expression of the Divine for spiritual development and practice in fact, often more significant than older mythic images, or at least, complimentary to them.

5. RESPONSIBILITY

No one person can determine how/where another should be responsible. However, we hold that a specific and major quality of the 'youth' stage is taking personal/individual responsibility for our lives (i.e., not just following the leader, or doing what Mom/Dad/Big Brother say or merely 'rebelling against them'; finding your own path, etc.). We support any path that truly leads a member to deeper awareness of, and responsibility for, their own life and psychic reality; and that of their family, friends, culture and the volumer world.

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