Legacy, my ego!

In my wanderings as of late, the word "legacy" has popped up in conversation with my old friend RG, researching the roots and circles of Dianic Tradition, mainly the differences between Reformed Congregation of the Goddess (founders Lynne & Jade) and Spiral Door/Temple of Diana (Ruth & Falon). I remember teaching my high school students about the idea of leaving a legacy in the 1800's and how our forefathers/mothers wished to keep traditions alive whether the family name by having a son, keeping marriages between the same religious beliefs or race/country origin or handing down a family heirloom. But what does this word really mean?

According to dictionary.com, legacy origin stems from,

"c.1375, "body of persons sent on a mission," from O.Fr. legacie "legate's office," from M.L. legatia, from L. legatus "ambassador, envoy," noun use of pp. of legare "appoint by a last will, send as a legate" (see legate). Sense of "property left by will" appeared in Scot. c.1460."

So a legacy...can be a person, an object(s) like money, jewelry or property and/or a quest. The use of legacy back in the days of King Henry the VIII translated to securing a throne through a male heir that could rule in the Tudor name as well as the riches and wealth. Soldiers were sent to war to leave a family legacy of being a warrior in many cultures. Like I mentioned above, in the early days of settlers in the New World (America), Pilgrims still tried to leave an inheritance for their children (mostly male children), values of the old world culture/religion and a namesake, a son. The word has evolved into something much different -becoming famous or well-known in a field of study. Some people fall into to fame due to their selfless actions and others search out fame and fortune. A key different, yet both struggle with ego and greater responsibilities to society.

So I ask you is leaving your legacy, your mark on this earth feeding your ego or sense of self?.....Each person can only ask this question for themselves.

Back to the legacy of the goddess movement....
A cutting from Ruth's interview with LGBTran zine,"Temple of Diana was founded here in Wisconsin in 2000. And what happened, after I moved here from Los Angeles, after being there for 20 years, it was like okay, I get to start over, in a sense. And first I incorporated under RCG again. And started that. But what became clear to me is the tradition, the Dianic tradition—meaning the legacy of Z Budapest and what I had evolved in southern California, didn’t really have its own 501C3 religious organization. So I realized that that really was the way to go. Because I was very focused on preserving the legacy and preserving the lineage, the teachings, in a certain way. And RCGI is a Goddess spirituality organization. And again, even though there are women who identify as Dianic, it’s not a Dianic organization, per se. So I wanted that. I wanted, I felt like that’s something I can leave behind. And then maybe we can also be an umbrella for other Dianic organizations that have come through that same door. "

And what door would that really be? Well, of course the priestess training program run by Ruth and Falon, called Spiral Door.

So then I wondered, what does Z Budapest think about the idea of legacy? why is Z teachings consider a legacy? Beside the fact Z is the founder of the Dianic Goddess Movement. Well, Z has her coven set up like a beehive system similar to other Wicca covens like the Garderian/Alexandrian sects. The coven has several different levels of study and once a coven member graduates then the graduate is cast out of the mother coven to start her own group. Kicking out a baby bird from the mother nest metaphor. What is Z's mission statement for Dianic tradition?

Dianic University Mission Statement: (from Z's website)
"We believe in bringing together the diverse souls of women from all over the world, to learn and exchange ideas, and to enhance each other. We can widen the collective female imagination through Goddess/Magical studies, connecting peace, work, ecology, freedom, and personal empowerment with happiness. Women united are changing the world for the better."

I personally don't see any difference between Z's mission statement and RCG-I's mission for the Women's Theological Institute (WTI). Each empowers women to find their own goddess self that is feminist and unique. Each organization is loosely structured to allow for future growth and women to define their own spiritual principles.

Well, then what is the definition of "Dianic" because obviously there is some differences, right?

Exactly, kind-of !

"Dianic tradition is difficult to define, because it is a spiritual tradition that encourages creativity, celebrates diversity, and demands personal empowerment and responsibility. For some, Dianic tradition is every day folk religion, hedge-witchery or kitchen-witchery. For others, Dianic tradition is more formal, with highly developed liturgy and cosmology. For most, in its essence Dianic tradition is a Women's Mysteries tradition, linked to such traditions across time and across cultures. They are a celebration of women's bodies, women's experiences, the Divine Feminine, and the biology and culture of womanhood, rather than rejection or dismissal of men and masculinity."(taken from Wikipedia, Dianic Tradition)

Ok... Ruth has created this elaborate "Dianic" tradition based on Z's teachings and others to set her own Dianic Tradition, her own legacy, to pass down to anyone who will pay to train with her and become a dutiful priestess. The Sprial Door (developed by Ruth Barrett & Falon River) Dianic tradition is more formal, structured creating dogmatic Dianic ideals. What I find most interesting is that by the nature of definition of "Dianic" creating rules and systems of celebrating women's diverse personal power, bodies and experiences ....isn't that creating a power-over system within a women's movement and spirituality? Hmm...pondering that for a moment.....

The veil is paper thin between goddess woman and the Dianic tradition as well as ego-driven legacy and carving a path for generations to come....