Queen of Swords

An acquaintance used the prase "necessary evil" recently, and it got me thinking -- again -- about its implications. The more I think about it, the less I like it.

Is there such a thing as an action that is indeed a "necessary" "evil"?

Is it "necessary" -- or are we suffering from a failure of imagination in being able to come up with other, better alternatives?

Or can we indeed imagine better alternatives, but are prevented from acting on them by outside forces that we can not in that moment overcome? Or by our own internal limitations?

Is the choice we make truly "evil" -- or are we using that word instead of something else?
Is it harsh, painful, unsatisfying, a source of grief?
Do we default to naming something "evil" when what we really mean is "painful from my perspective"?

Are there some situations which are so suffused with evil that there is no choice that is not tainted by it?


I don't have the answers, but I'm curious about other peoples' perspectives.

[I'm not putting this behind a filter because even though it references bdsm, there are no actual details of those practices.]


A few days ago, I received a polite message through FetLife from a man who was curious about what he read there about my spiritual practices. Like many people he'd never heard of Ereshkigal, and had no idea what being a priestess of Ereshkigal might involve. We've exchanged a few emails since then, and in one of them, he wrote

I am puzzled a bit. . . . Ereshkigal is a Goddess of the Underworld. Most literature portray Deities of the Underworld as evil, malevolent, and self-centered. And yet, I am not picking up any sort of that in our discussion. I am also not picking up any sort of reference about "evil" or "good" in the stuff I have found on the internet.

It was a great opportunity for me to provide some more shape around my own thoughts on this matter. This isn't highly developed, and there are rather more unsubstantiated generalizations than I usually like to make, so I definitely welcome constructive feedback.


Here's what I wrote in response:


You're absolutely right about the portrayal of deities of the underworld. In fact, there are some places where you will see Ereshkigal referenced as a "demon." Personally, I believe that such portrayals stem from two primary reasons: 1. the demonization of any "other" gods by monotheistic faiths, and 2. humanity's fear of death and its combination of inevitability and irreversibility. [. . . ]

Humanity fears death, and underworld deities tend to reflect that fear. We always perceive the Divine through our own filters, yet there are powers and aspects that are consistent and transcend individual quirks. When the monotheistic faiths placed their one god in the sky (metaphorically at least), all other deities they encountered became enemies of The One, and -- as humanity tends to do with all enemies -- were demonized. Because of the dualism that drives so much of Western thought, if the One God is in the sky and good, then any other deities are not gods but demons and their "proper" home is in the underworld. [Re-reading this, I probably would have left out the bit about monotheism. I'm pretty sure that the fear of the underworld pre-dates monotheism, and the demonization of 'other' gods transcends those of the underworld. Although maybe the entrenched monotheism and the concept of Hell being underground has intensified this in modern times?]

I find that working with underworld deities is very consistent with practicing bdsm. There are some who see bdsm as "dark" -- and some for whom the "dark" and/or "transgressive" elements are part of the fun, the turn-on. That doesn't work for me. When I practice bdsm I take elements of myself that I can not express in ordinary society and bring them to light. My partner and I expose ourselves, which -- when done with mutual trust and respect and love -- deepens and intensifies intimacy. In ways I can't fully explain, working with Ereshkigal is like that -- and while she is Dark (of the underworld, associated with the shadow aspects of our psyche, a mistress of the hard places we must walk), she is no more inherently evil than bdsm is. But she can be extremely frightening to those who only see her association with scary things and the reflections of their personal fears.

There are, however, some magical practitioners who do "get off" on working with Dark Powers, and use that authentic energy to further their own selfish, often hurtful ends. I haven't had anything to do with black magic or black magicians, but I expect that they may call on deities like Ereshkigal, and get something else who appears under that name. (Demonic powers do exist, I just don't work for one.) Or the dark deities may respond with "just enough rope to hang themselves" so the black magicians end up tying themselves in really unpleasant karmic knots.

My personal ethics have their roots in the teachings of Jesus, and my priestess teacher's primary ethical teaching to me has been around free will: that it's wrong to use magic to coerce the free will of another, even if you think it's for a good cause. Her particular example was doing a working to end the war in Iraq: a virtuous cause, but to accomplish it magically (as opposed to through other, more conventional ways) would mean using magic to force Bush and others to change their minds. And that's a violation. On the other hand, the night before this past election I did a working with my king toward ensuring that the sovereign will of the American people was fully and accurately reflected by the outcome of the vote, and that every vote would be accurately recorded and reported. So, again as in bdsm, consent is very important to my magical ethic.

I don't believe in rules as much as principles and virtues. I believe that a life lived with wisdom (learning from your own experiences as well as from others), integrity (honesty with self and others), courage, compassion, and humor will result in a life that is positive for self and neighbors.