There must be some Catholics here! I will tell you, I'm a "closet Catholic" (even though I was raised Protestant). When my W and I went to Rome on our honeymoon, I insisted that we attend an outdoor Papal mass at St. Peter's. I was "blown away" (as they say). There WAS the freaking Pope of Christendom, Pope-in-chief-& religous-honcho of the freaking Western World, NATO'S spriritual stealth bomber, conducting an unblievable religious ceremony for us all to witness and participate in. My W (who IS a practicing witch/lapsed-Catholc was nonplussed - please note the spelling of "nonplussed" meaning "underwhelmed," please! This is my old English-teacher tic twitching, so don't take offense, anyone, please!)<P>What the HELL is the point I'm trying to make!? I forget. Because I'm trying to figure out where my W and I are going. Hence this "marinated prose." (Writers out there, you KNOW what this means!)<P>Maybe my W is right. I'm insane. Check me into McLean's. I am already an inmate of relationship hell. To quote the English poet John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" (which I cannot STRONGLY recommend enough for wisdom on ALL Biblical issues) -- "Myself am hell. Whereso I fly is hell." (Satan speaking, of coiurse.)<P>Is this enough for you fundamentalist types who seem (understandably) to populate this forum? Christ, God. I grew up on this stuff. So, I'm tellling you (like a good confrontational therapist/counselor) that I want all of YOU to GROW UP!)<P>I also want all of you to have incredibly beautiful and fulfilling relationships with a soul mate (or however else you want to describe HIM OR HER) with the ONE YOU LOVE!<P>In the Bible, read "The Song of Solomon."<P>In John Milton, at least read the last book of "Paradise Lost." The whole poem is a stunner and I'm sure you can find it online.<P>Regards and blessings,<P>--Wex

OK Wex... you started it with the Pope business. Heard on the news today (or was it yesterday) the Irish singer Bono called the Pope "funky". <BR> <A HREF="http://asia.yahoo.com/headlines/230999/entertainment/938100780-90923153355.entertainment.html" TARGET=_blank>http://asia.yahoo.com/headlines/230999/entertainment/938100780-90923153355.entertainment.html</A> or <A HREF="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19990923/re/pope_sunglasses_1.html" TARGET=_blank>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19990923/re/pope_sunglasses_1.html</A> <P>As for the rest of your marinated prose, I'm reading marinated style, so I have no comment. <P><P>------------------<BR>RobinAnn<P>*********<P>Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!

Ya made me laugh.... and I'm not marinated.. but its way nice to laugh isn't it <P>cozy <<right winged>>

.<p>[This message has been edited by Madelyn (edited September 25, 1999).]

how do you feel this am wex? cl

Wex, you are a more interesting person than I ever dreamed. A practicing witch? Like Wicca? Then would you PLEASE explain here that craft is NOT Satanism? Thank you.<P>(No, I'm not one, but if I had the time and discipline, I might be.)<P>Wow...Wicca...Milton's Paradise Lost...Song of Solomon.<P>Amazing. We are such a literate group it's astonishing.

Wex,<BR> Isn't one of the Wiccan tenets "Do as you will, yet harm no one."? Does your wife practice THAT?? I don't think so.....<P> Hypocrites in ALL religions, I think...<P>

Sorry for the delay. I couldn't get online all day yesterday because I was busy actually doing a lot stuff with my W.<P>RobinAnn - Hey, the Pope IS funky. But cool. Even "way cool." In some ways, anyway. (Not his politics, to my mind, though.) My W doesn't like him because of his antifeminist stands. <P>used2Bcozy - Glad you got a laugh out of it. I think that was the idea. It's also WHY I marinated myself. I get so freaking tired sometimes of being mired in the pain of my marriage, I've got to escape. And this is the way that seems to work best for me. I know how to control my drinking (see one of my other posts for this) and stop when I want/need to. It's such a relief to be able just to bounce around in my head and see what comes out!<P>Madelyn - I hope the reason you edited your message out isn't because you said something you later regretted!<P>cl - I was feeling much more myself when I wrote that than I usually am when I'm whining about my relationship with my W. This was more what I was like before I met her and became completely obsessed with her.<P>D&C - Thank you, I needed that. I really do. No, witchcraft is NOT "Satanism" (whatever that means). In fact, the Wiccan tradition I've studied does not involve or invoke Satan at all, but is really very technique-oriented, with an emphasis on producing "natural magic." (I know some groups of witches have shut down nuclear power plants this way, and there was even a group of witches in England - where the Wiccan revival originated - who devoted themselves to foiling Hitler's efforts during WWII!)<P>I don't know if my W is formally a Wiccan. She does belong to a women's group that studies mystical subjects, but they're somewhat secretive about what they actually do. She also attends a larger monthly ritual for women that sounds like some of the witch conclaves I've attended. And we've done some ritual work together. I've told her that I'd really like to go in this direction together as a spiritual practice, but she's seemed reluctant really to open up about this side of herself. I studied with a Wiccan master for awhile and can recommend it as a spiritual practice. I'm not formally a Wiccan myself, in the sense that I don't belong to any coven. But I do use some of the techniques in my daily life and find them to be very empowering.<P>(Before you fundamentalists out there freak completely, let me just say that one of you is sitting in the cube next to me at work, keeping close watch on me. When I told him I'd studied witchcraft, he said, "That's OK. Just don't try any witchcraft on me!" Which is, of course, a completely flawed idea of what one does with the techniques.)<P>Sweetpea - You're absolutely right. But my W doesn't THINK she's harming me. She thinks somehow that I'm the one harming HER! (This is part of our whole problem.) And yes, in Wicca, there is a whole tradition of what I call "ethical witchcraft" (most effectively voiced, I think, by Starhawk) devoted to protecting rather than harming other people and, especially, the natural environment. (These are the witches who use magic to shut down the nukes.)<P>This, BTW, is NOT marinated prose. I've decided to "dry out" for a while at least.<P>Regards and blessings,<P>--Wex<P>

Oh and one more thing. I got the title for this thread from sitting around thinking about rescuing my W from the OM (even though she doesn't sound like she WANTS to be rescued!) But, as they say, I "lost the thread" in a sea of marinade. The dragon is obviously the OM, I am the knight (in somewhat tarnished not shining armor) and my W is the "maiden in distress." But, apparently, not all THAT much distress! I guess the dragon fills some of her needs that I can't. (Maybe dragons come equipped with some kind of super sexual apparatus - who knows?)<P>"Oh, please don't slay him St. George. He gives me MUCH better orgasms than YOU do!"<P>--Wex