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I like to think that Durga was watching out for her, but that's just my opinion.

Also, I don't

think these lions were "confused" by the girl's whimpering, again, just my

opinion. A

heartwarming story any way.

 

 

 

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/06/21/

lions_rescue_guard_beaten_ethiopian_girl/

 

Lions rescue, guard beaten Ethiopian girl

By Anthony Mitchell, Associated Press Writer | June 21, 2005

 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia --A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men

trying

to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who

apparently had

chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.

 

The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force

her to

marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the

provincial

capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.

 

She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on

the

outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for

about half a

day, he said.

 

"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and

went back

into the forest," Wondimu said.

 

"If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse.

Often these

young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage,"

he said.

 

Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who corroborated Wondimu's version of

the

events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the girl against her wishes.

 

"Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle, because normally the lions would

attack

people," Wondimu said.

 

Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural development ministry, said the

girl may

have survived because she was crying from the trauma of her attack.

 

"A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub,

which

in turn could explain why they didn't eat her," Williams said.

 

Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black manes, are the country's national

symbol and

adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a recent crackdown, Hunters also

kill the

animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000. Williams estimates that only

1,000

Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.

 

The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was "shocked and terrified" after her

abduction and

had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings, Wondimu said.

 

He said police had caught four of the abductors and three were still at large.

 

Kidnapping young girls has long been part of the marriage custom in Ethiopia.

The United

Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by

abduction,

practiced in rural areas where most of the country's 71 million people live.

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I'm certain that Ethiopians have a "lion goddess" of

their own, somewhere in their Pagan past. It seems

strange to culturally appropriate Hindu divinities and

arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely different

culture.

 

How much influence did Egypt have on ancient Ethiopia?

More likely some form of Sekhmet watching out for the

girl?

 

Nice story, anyway.

 

-- Len

(whose name, Leonard, means "like a lion")

 

 

--- prainbow61 <paulie-rainbow wrote:

> I like to think that Durga was watching out for her,

> but that's just my opinion. Also, I don't

> think these lions were "confused" by the girl's

> whimpering, again, just my opinion. A

> heartwarming story any way.

>

>

>

>

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/06/21/

> lions_rescue_guard_beaten_ethiopian_girl/

>

> Lions rescue, guard beaten Ethiopian girl

> By Anthony Mitchell, Associated Press Writer |

> June 21, 2005

>

> ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia --A 12-year-old girl who was

> abducted and beaten by men trying

> to force her into a marriage was found being guarded

> by three lions who apparently had

> chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.

>

> The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by

> seven men who wanted to force her to

> marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo,

> speaking by telephone from the provincial

> capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of

> Addis Ababa.

>

> She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June

> 9 by police and relatives on the

> outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been

> guarded by the lions for about half a

> day, he said.

>

> "They stood guard until we found her and then they

> just left her like a gift and went back

> into the forest," Wondimu said.

>

> "If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it

> could have been much worse. Often these

> young girls are raped and severely beaten to force

> them to accept the marriage," he said.

>

> Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who

> corroborated Wondimu's version of the

> events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the

> girl against her wishes.

>

> "Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle,

> because normally the lions would attack

> people," Wondimu said.

>

> Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural

> development ministry, said the girl may

> have survived because she was crying from the trauma

> of her attack.

>

> "A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the

> mewing sound from a lion cub, which

> in turn could explain why they didn't eat her,"

> Williams said.

>

> Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black

> manes, are the country's national symbol and

> adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a

> recent crackdown, Hunters also kill the

> animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000.

> Williams estimates that only 1,000

> Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.

>

> The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was

> "shocked and terrified" after her abduction and

> had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings,

> Wondimu said.

>

> He said police had caught four of the abductors and

> three were still at large.

>

> Kidnapping young girls has long been part of the

> marriage custom in Ethiopia. The United

> Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of

> marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction,

> practiced in rural areas where most of the country's

> 71 million people live.

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

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Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour:

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Ah, you're right, the Goddess in Her form of Sekmet.

 

It's just that I meditate so often on Durga and Her wonderful lion,....or

tiger... whatever

and it seemed to me that there was incredible benevolent and divine intervention

in this

case. It moved me personally and I thought of my Goddess in connection with it.

 

Truly in a world of so much violence, it was so nice to hear such a nice story.

 

Blessings,

 

prainbow

 

, Len Rosenberg <kalipadma108> wrote:

>

> I'm certain that Ethiopians have a "lion goddess" of

> their own, somewhere in their Pagan past. It seems

> strange to culturally appropriate Hindu divinities and

> arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely different

> culture.

>

> How much influence did Egypt have on ancient Ethiopia?

> More likely some form of Sekhmet watching out for the

> girl?

>

> Nice story, anyway.

>

> -- Len

> (whose name, Leonard, means "like a lion")

>

>

> --- prainbow61 <paulie-rainbow@u...> wrote:

>

> > I like to think that Durga was watching out for her,

> > but that's just my opinion. Also, I don't

> > think these lions were "confused" by the girl's

> > whimpering, again, just my opinion. A

> > heartwarming story any way.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/06/21/

> > lions_rescue_guard_beaten_ethiopian_girl/

> >

> > Lions rescue, guard beaten Ethiopian girl

> > By Anthony Mitchell, Associated Press Writer |

> > June 21, 2005

> >

> > ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia --A 12-year-old girl who was

> > abducted and beaten by men trying

> > to force her into a marriage was found being guarded

> > by three lions who apparently had

> > chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.

> >

> > The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by

> > seven men who wanted to force her to

> > marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo,

> > speaking by telephone from the provincial

> > capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of

> > Addis Ababa.

> >

> > She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June

> > 9 by police and relatives on the

> > outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been

> > guarded by the lions for about half a

> > day, he said.

> >

> > "They stood guard until we found her and then they

> > just left her like a gift and went back

> > into the forest," Wondimu said.

> >

> > "If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it

> > could have been much worse. Often these

> > young girls are raped and severely beaten to force

> > them to accept the marriage," he said.

> >

> > Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who

> > corroborated Wondimu's version of the

> > events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the

> > girl against her wishes.

> >

> > "Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle,

> > because normally the lions would attack

> > people," Wondimu said.

> >

> > Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural

> > development ministry, said the girl may

> > have survived because she was crying from the trauma

> > of her attack.

> >

> > "A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the

> > mewing sound from a lion cub, which

> > in turn could explain why they didn't eat her,"

> > Williams said.

> >

> > Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black

> > manes, are the country's national symbol and

> > adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a

> > recent crackdown, Hunters also kill the

> > animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000.

> > Williams estimates that only 1,000

> > Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.

> >

> > The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was

> > "shocked and terrified" after her abduction and

> > had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings,

> > Wondimu said.

> >

> > He said police had caught four of the abductors and

> > three were still at large.

> >

> > Kidnapping young girls has long been part of the

> > marriage custom in Ethiopia. The United

> > Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of

> > marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction,

> > practiced in rural areas where most of the country's

> > 71 million people live.

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

> Mail

> Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour:

> http://tour.mail./mailtour.html

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Isn't this what we non-Hindus are doing here at SS? With no ill

intentions, but nonetheless!

>

> , Len Rosenberg

<kalipadma108> wrote:

It seems

> > strange to culturally appropriate Hindu divinities and

> > arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely different

> > culture.

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>From the moment in 1980 when I stepped into the Hindu

Temple in Flushing, Queens, and dissolved into tears

of bliss while standing before Ganesha's manadapam,

with the feeling of having finally "come home" --

well, my devotion was not "arbitrarily superimposed"

by someone else. It was my own conscious choice.

 

-- Len

 

 

--- Mary Ann <buttercookie61 wrote:

> Isn't this what we non-Hindus are doing here at SS?

> With no ill

> intentions, but nonetheless!

> >

> > , Len

> Rosenberg

> <kalipadma108> wrote:

> It seems

> > > strange to culturally appropriate Hindu

> divinities and

> > > arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely

> different

> > > culture.

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I didn't think Prainbow's feeling about Durga in relation to the

story of the girl protected by lions was imposing her devotion on

anyone else, either. But your seeing it as an imposition caused me

to ask whether such "imposition" is what we non-Hindus do in this

realm. Despite our inner feelings of devotion, though certain

aspects of Hindu deity and teachings may feel like "coming home,"

other people may still view us as appropriating or misappropriating,

arbitrarily or otherwise. Does that make our inner experience any

less? I'll bet that girl (at some point) would love to know of any

and all examples of girls and women being protected by lions and/or

tigers since her experience was so special, yet, if depicted in

spiritual imagery of any culture, not unprecedented.

 

 

, Len Rosenberg

<kalipadma108> wrote:

>

> From the moment in 1980 when I stepped into the Hindu

> Temple in Flushing, Queens, and dissolved into tears

> of bliss while standing before Ganesha's manadapam,

> with the feeling of having finally "come home" --

> well, my devotion was not "arbitrarily superimposed"

> by someone else. It was my own conscious choice.

>

> -- Len

>

>

> --- Mary Ann <buttercookie61> wrote:

>

> > Isn't this what we non-Hindus are doing here at SS?

> > With no ill

> > intentions, but nonetheless!

> > >

> > > , Len

> > Rosenberg

> > <kalipadma108> wrote:

> > It seems

> > > > strange to culturally appropriate Hindu

> > divinities and

> > > > arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely

> > different

> > > > culture.

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

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Well, maybe it is imposition.

 

I mean, I feel pretty irritated when Christians interpret events in *my* life as

being the

result of the works of their Jesus Christ. Really irritated sometimes. I don't

like the events

of my life being appropriated to the glory of their god, particularly when they

use the

influence of their faith to change the laws that affect my life.

 

So maybe I was wrong. But what I was feeling was just grateful and moved.

 

Namaste,

 

prainbow

 

, "Mary Ann" <buttercookie61> wrote:

> I didn't think Prainbow's feeling about Durga in relation to the

> story of the girl protected by lions was imposing her devotion on

> anyone else, either. But your seeing it as an imposition caused me

> to ask whether such "imposition" is what we non-Hindus do in this

> realm. Despite our inner feelings of devotion, though certain

> aspects of Hindu deity and teachings may feel like "coming home,"

> other people may still view us as appropriating or misappropriating,

> arbitrarily or otherwise. Does that make our inner experience any

> less? I'll bet that girl (at some point) would love to know of any

> and all examples of girls and women being protected by lions and/or

> tigers since her experience was so special, yet, if depicted in

> spiritual imagery of any culture, not unprecedented.

>

>

> , Len Rosenberg

> <kalipadma108> wrote:

> >

> > From the moment in 1980 when I stepped into the Hindu

> > Temple in Flushing, Queens, and dissolved into tears

> > of bliss while standing before Ganesha's manadapam,

> > with the feeling of having finally "come home" --

> > well, my devotion was not "arbitrarily superimposed"

> > by someone else. It was my own conscious choice.

> >

> > -- Len

> >

> >

> > --- Mary Ann <buttercookie61> wrote:

> >

> > > Isn't this what we non-Hindus are doing here at SS?

> > > With no ill

> > > intentions, but nonetheless!

> > > >

> > > > , Len

> > > Rosenberg

> > > <kalipadma108> wrote:

> > > It seems

> > > > > strange to culturally appropriate Hindu

> > > divinities and

> > > > > arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely

> > > different

> > > > > culture.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

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If you were there wagging your finger at that girl and telling her it

was Durga and only Durga, that would be imposing. Otherwise, I

think it's possible to recognize God/dess in all images and

experiences of the Divine, in uncommon as well as common

events.

 

It is truly imposition when people create laws to support only one

view of God and demand that others accept their view of God as

the only true one. It's imposition when people perform harmful

acts in the name of their God, avoiding the personal

responsibility for choosing to harm others. My 2 cents, anyway.

 

 

, "prainbow61"

<paulie-rainbow@u...> wrote:

> Well, maybe it is imposition.

>

> I mean, I feel pretty irritated when Christians interpret events in

*my* life as being the

> result of the works of their Jesus Christ. Really irritated

sometimes. I don't like the events

> of my life being appropriated to the glory of their god,

particularly when they use the

> influence of their faith to change the laws that affect my life.

>

> So maybe I was wrong. But what I was feeling was just grateful

and moved.

>

> Namaste,

>

> prainbow

>

> , "Mary Ann"

<buttercookie61> wrote:

> > I didn't think Prainbow's feeling about Durga in relation to the

> > story of the girl protected by lions was imposing her devotion

on

> > anyone else, either. But your seeing it as an imposition

caused me

> > to ask whether such "imposition" is what we non-Hindus do

in this

> > realm. Despite our inner feelings of devotion, though certain

> > aspects of Hindu deity and teachings may feel like "coming

home,"

> > other people may still view us as appropriating or

misappropriating,

> > arbitrarily or otherwise. Does that make our inner experience

any

> > less? I'll bet that girl (at some point) would love to know of

any

> > and all examples of girls and women being protected by

lions and/or

> > tigers since her experience was so special, yet, if depicted in

> > spiritual imagery of any culture, not unprecedented.

> >

> >

> > , Len Rosenberg

> > <kalipadma108> wrote:

> > >

> > > From the moment in 1980 when I stepped into the Hindu

> > > Temple in Flushing, Queens, and dissolved into tears

> > > of bliss while standing before Ganesha's manadapam,

> > > with the feeling of having finally "come home" --

> > > well, my devotion was not "arbitrarily superimposed"

> > > by someone else. It was my own conscious choice.

> > >

> > > -- Len

> > >

> > >

> > > --- Mary Ann <buttercookie61> wrote:

> > >

> > > > Isn't this what we non-Hindus are doing here at SS?

> > > > With no ill

> > > > intentions, but nonetheless!

> > > > >

> > > > > , Len

> > > > Rosenberg

> > > > <kalipadma108> wrote:

> > > > It seems

> > > > > > strange to culturally appropriate Hindu

> > > > divinities and

> > > > > > arbitrarily superimpose them on a completely

> > > > different

> > > > > > culture.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Tired of spam? Mail has the best spam protection

around

> > >

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Wow, it's a new experience for me to have someone agree with me :) This

may alter my body chemistry!

 

, Katiadriel@a... wrote:

> I definitely agree with buttercookie, that is exactly how I look at

it. =)

>

>

>

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Well, brace yourself, I agree with you too.

>Wow, it's a new experience for me to have someone agree with me :)

>This may alter my body chemistry!

 

I see no reason why devotees of different traditions cannot find

commonalities in their symbolic systems. That's not to say that they

_must_ necessarily mean the same, but they often do. The ancients

equated deities of other peoples with their own all the time,

notwithstanding the differences between them.

 

Max

 

--

Max Dashu

Suppressed Histories Archives

Global Women's History

http://www.suppressedhistories.net

 

 

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How nice - I can actually stop bracing myself and just allow myself

to be as I am. Thanks Max, and you, too, Katiadriel. Great minds

think alike, they say :)

 

 

, Max Dashu <maxdashu@l...>

wrote:

> Well, brace yourself, I agree with you too.

>

> >Wow, it's a new experience for me to have someone agree with

me :)

> >This may alter my body chemistry!

>

> I see no reason why devotees of different traditions cannot find

> commonalities in their symbolic systems. That's not to say that

they

> _must_ necessarily mean the same, but they often do. The ancients

> equated deities of other peoples with their own all the time,

> notwithstanding the differences between them.

>

> Max

>

> --

> Max Dashu

> Suppressed Histories Archives

> Global Women's History

> http://www.suppressedhistories.net

>

>

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