Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Between Two Worlds: Chaotic Beginnings, Covid-19 and Social Unrest

Between Two Worlds: Chaotic Beginnings, Covid-19 and Social Unrest

Last updated on: January 19, 2021 at 4:58 pm by Brianne Raven Wolf

Between Two Worlds: Chaotic Beginnings, Covid-19 and Social Unrest 2021-01-19T16:58:32+00:00 Brianne Raven Wolf

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Similar in many ways to 2020, this year of 2021 again started with chaotic beginnings for me. I wasn’t naive enough to think that 2021 would start off any differently than 2020. Especially with all of the political, social justice unrest and the pandemic still going on.

2021 and the pandemic is still going on. Image by PIRO4D via Pixabay.

When I moved to this part of New York State on Beltane last year I knew it was a very conservative area. But it was the same way when I lived here 60 years ago. A lot of times, nothing really changes in rural America. Everything looks about the same as it did when I lived near here.

Except back then we didn’t have a pandemic like Covid-19. I didn’t have to be concerned about wearing a mask everywhere I went. I’m happy that my sister and I live now in a totally rehabbed old High School built in 1930. All of the apartments in the building are new. It’s only for us residents 55 and older, a lot who are my age and unlike me, are not in good health.

So why am I concerned about chaotic beginnings this year? For one thing, over half of the residents here don’t wear any face masks or other face coverings. They don’t seem to care. I think a lot of them thought since this is a fairly small building in our small community that they wouldn’t get Covid. For all of 2020 they were correct. Until about 2 weeks ago. One resident tested positive for Covid and has been in the hospital for the past 10 days.

That resident was about my age and refused to wear a mask. Image by Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay.

That resident was about my age and refused to wear a mask. A week later another handicapped resident went to the hospital with Covid. Again, not wearing a mask. I still see a lot of the residents here still not wearing any face coverings when they enter or leave our building, even though there’re signs posted on all of the entrances and inside. After 2 of our residents are in the hospital from Covid-19.

I’m still processing what happened in our nation’s Capitol January 6th. Seeing all of it happen live on television and postings in social media actually “triggered” my PTSD from my military years. It reminded me of the civil unrest against the war in Vietnam. I was stationed in the capitol city of Wisconsin at the time. After an 18-month tour in the South China Sea area. It was the mid-1960’s.

At the time I was a military photographer. It got so bad that we couldn’t go downtown alone, or risk getting beaten by some of the more aggressive demonstrators. There was an Army munitions factory about 30-40 minutes away from our base. It had been re-activated from being “mothballed” after World War II to make all kinds of munitions to support the war effort.

I remember the first shipment of aerial mines destined to mine Haiphong Harbor in Vietnam that arrived at our front gate. On large Army flat-bed trucks with soldiers accompanying the mines wearing civilian clothes and carrying machine guns. Demonstrators arrived and tried to stop the munitions from coming onto the base. Angry demonstrators. Sound familiar!

So many of our cities burned, fueled by hatred. Image by Fajrul_Falah via Pixabay.

The good news was that they didn’t breach our gate. I have wondered recently what would have happened if they had been armed. I remember all too well those times. The anti-war demonstrations. From Wikipedia:

“The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre, were the killings of four and wounding of nine other unarmed Kent State University students by the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970 in Kent, Ohio, 40 miles south of Cleveland. The killings took place during a peace rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into neutral Cambodia by United States military forces as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus. The incident marked the first time that a student had been killed in an anti-war gathering in United States history.”

What might happen with 25,000 Army National Guard members in our nation’s Capitol?

I also remember the race riots of the 1960’s all too well. When so many of our cities burned, fueled by hatred. Some were very close to where I live now. The Harlem, NY and Rochester, NY riot of 1964. The Watts riot in Los Angeles 1965. The Chicago riot in 1966. Detroit riots in 1967. They called the 159 race riots in America “The Long Hot Summer”. Including another city near where I live, Buffalo, NY. Does any of that remind us of The Black Lives Movement recently?

For me, being a transwoman, I still recall the Stonewall riots of June 28th to July 2nd, 1969 vividly. I wasn’t “out” as trans back then as I was still in the military. You can read more about that here.

Violence begetting violence. Sometimes when we don’t pay attention to the past, history has, and does repeat itself. Let us all remind ourselves of that…now and in the future…

About Brianne Raven Wolf

Brianne Raven Wolf has identified as a Pagan from a very young age. She is an active member of Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin. She volunteers her time there helping at most Full Moon Rituals, as well as some workshops, Circle events, and Sanctuary work days. At Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) 2017, she became the first Pagan Transwoman to have the Senioring Rite of Passage. She follows a Hekatean Witchcraft Spiritual Path. To relax, she likes to walk, camp, and hike as much as possible in very rural areas. Brianne is also an avid reader, especially young adult novels. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

January 16, 2021

Simple Witchery: Witchcraft that Works . . .

Next Post

January 28, 2021 Druid in the City: Defining Druidry From My Perspectives

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Noah's father?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abel Seth Lamech Enoch