Father's Day (Originally published on June 15, 2008)

We celebrate fathers on this day in June. It has always struck me as a day we dedicate to the masculine. A day when we remember what is good and right in the Y chromosome. The image of my sex has oft been hijacked by the demons of our nature. It is today when we remember the better angels.

I am one of the blessed. Fatherhood is symbolized by a great man in my life. He will be the first to tell you that he has been supported and helped by a great woman. But he has taught me everything I know about being that rare creature, man. He tells a tale of a dream. A god and a goddess standing before him. He seeing what he had of the harshness of our sex looks on one with love and the other with venom. They stand before him smiling. Knowing that the connections are indivisible. She leans against him. She does not need his support but she is comforted by his strength. It allows her to reach new heights.

At our best, we are the sword and the shield. Providing a place for the magick to happen. Instructing our sons to do the same. Unleashing the force that is within us to propel ourselves higher. Offering a hand to our brothers and sisters to aid them in the climb. Clearing a path through the unknown. Standing on the side of creation and against the destructive. The real battles are very rarely physical, but they are real and they must be fought.

And so I say to all the fathers out there. Those that have taught your sons and daughters the value of their fellow humans. Those that taught them to look at the lifeforms we share this planet with and respect them. Those that made it clear that no man has the right to raise his hand to a woman. The men who woke before dawn and toiled after sundown. The men who fought with everything they had for those they loved. The men who wore the title "father" as a badge of honor and held it as a sacred vow. I honor you this day. May your burden by light. May your children know the love you feel for them.

And to the man I have the honor of calling father, I love you. You have taught me more than you know.