Haggis and vegetarianism

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From: Bob.Luckin@tiuk.ti.com
Date: Thu 11 Aug 1994 - 21:06:03 EEST


Hi from Bob Luckin !

John Medway asks (X-RQ-ID: 5614) :-

>>[Did I mention I have a good photo of your haggis being ceremonially carved in
>>Geos ? (I also have a shot of Ken lapping it up, and of Greg pretending to do
>>so, but in actuality trying not to throw it up...)]

>Haggis? It was in the *troll* section, right?

Actually, it was announced as Sartarite haggis (at least that's what Ken Rolston was calling it); I'm sure it was considered savoury rather than troll...

Greg might have thought it should be in the troll section, though. :-)

Someone remind me what won the troll category... (I *think* Henk's Elf fingers won the sweet category (is that right, Henk ?), and modesty forbids me from revealing the winner of the wierd section.)

Chalana Arroy and vegetarianism :-

I know the RoC writeup says CA initiates must be vegetarians (the original CoP version applies this to lay members...), but I'm not at all sure I buy this.

I can't recall a mythic reason for this stricture. What has CA got against (or for ?) the plant rune that she should treat its (non-intelligent) creatures differently from those belonging to other runes ?

We know CA loves all life, and the RoC writeup says the worshippers try to apply this equally to all living things, but then goes on to state there is in practice a hierarchy which allows only plants to be eaten, and animals to be killed to provide healing etc..

I prefer to think this stricture is not dictated by the goddess herself, but is often practiced as a matter of choice by her adherents, for reasons of squeamishness. They'd rather not eat anything living, but since plants don't tend to run away or resist being killed as much as food animals, they find it expedient to take the easy way out and avoid eating animals.

But I think a really devout worshipper of CA might *deliberately* adopt an omnivorous diet despite their own squeamishness, in order to prove that they did view all life as equal. These people would eat meat, fish, and plants, and try to balance the amounts of each in some way over the year.

They would of course try to make sure the food was prepared as gently as possible, with the correct reverence (Peaceful Cut, Food Song (did I get the name right ?) etc.). [BTW, what's the equivalent of these for fish ?]

Scavenging might also be quite a reasonable way for a CA cultist to collect food. Some worshippers may think that it isn't right to kill an animal deliberately for food, but if you happen to come across a carcass during your travels, and there is still something edible on it, then it is OK to make use of what the Goddess has decided is beyond healing.

I just read John Strauss' description of the ex Storm Bull (X-RQ-ID: 5615), and liked it a lot. I think this would fit in quite well with my own vision of the cult, although worhsippers like this would of course be very rare.

On a related topic : does the Wild Healer of the Rockwoods go round impregnating things ? Presumably being a CA it would want to avoid causing distress to living creatures in this way, but it could still mate with inanimate objects; it is still a child of Thed, after all.

Cheers, Bob
--
Bob Luckin voly@tiuk.ti.com "Able was I ere I saw Corflu"

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