My book collection needs a lint brush

I've started the packing process, and I was looking at my collection of Pagan books the other day, wondering what to do with some of them. There's some classics and other texts I use frequently enough that they are worth keeping, but that certainly isn't true of the whole collection.

I have ended up with a few of the worst Pagan books in recent history; a collection of fluffiness, historical errors, and bad writing. And there's a fair number of books on my shelf that are merely irrelevent to me or that I have gotten all I need out of them. If I sell them all to one of the metaphysical used book stores, I can use the money and shelf space to acquire a few quality texts I've been lusting over.

That said, I feel a little conflicted about selling my examples of bad Pagan writing. The collection has value as humour, certainly, but more importantly, if I sell these books, there will be one more affordable copy of each book out in the world, influencing people. For example, I currently use one book as an excellent example of why editors are important and how bad Pagan writing and thinking can be. If I sell it, someone may buy it, take it seriously, and that is a disservice to the Pagan community at large.

I may print up "warning labels" to include in the worst of the books to assuage my conscience. Sort of like the warnings on cigarettes: "This book may cause fuzzy thinking and strange beliefs about history. Not recommended for the gullible or the naive. Take only with a grain of salt."

In my head too much

When I was a boy, I scared the pants off of my mom,
Climbed what I could climb upon
And I don't know how I survived,
I guess I knew the tricks that all boys knew.
And you can walk me home, but I was a boy, too.
(Dar Williams, When I Was A Boy)

I never was a tomboy. I've always been a girly-girl: delicate, tidy, scared of getting hurt, not wanting to be dirty.

I didn't climb trees. I didn't get muddy or grass-stained, or catch bugs, or whatever it is boys do. I don't even know what boys do.

I feel like maybe I missed out.

When I was born, they looked at me and said
what a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy.
And when you were born, they looked at you and said,
what a good girl, what a what a smart girl, what a pretty girl.
(Barenaked Ladies, What a Good Boy)

I've never been strong.

It's a good thing I was born a girl, as this kind of weakness is still OK in the "weaker sex", but would mean humiliation for a boy.

So we're sitting at a bar in Guadalajara
In walks a guy with a faraway look in his eyes
He says, "I got a powerful horse outside
Climb on the back, I'll take you for a ride
I know a little place
We can get there 'fore the break of day"
I said "In these shoes?
No way Jose"
I said "Honey, let's stay right here."
(Bette Midler, In These Shoes)

Sometimes I feel the feminine bits and pieces (high heels, bras, short skirts) as fun and sexy.

Other times they seem to be too literally the "trappings" of femininity.

Girly-girls don't have the kind of adventures where they jump on the back of a horse and ride off into the wilds.

And he says, "Oh no, no, can't you see
When I was a girl, my mom and I we always talked
And I picked flowers everywhere that I walked.
And I could always cry, now even when I'm alone I seldom do
And I have lost some kindness
But I was a girl too.
And you were just like me, and I was just like you.
(Dar Williams, When I Was A Boy)

I wish I had a past where boys and girls seemed the same.

I think I'm going to start weight training this fall.