The Course of My Studies Part Two
(I broke this up so I didn’t lose steam and get bored, then never finish. Here’s a link to the first part)
So I left off the last post in my early twenties. I had just had a major falling out with Wicca and was on a hunt for something else. I was delving into the wonderful world of Celtic spirituality.
So I dove into all things Celtic and even hung out with some Reconstructionists. I considered Druidry but it also was not for me. I did learn a great deal from my Druid and Recon friends however, about scholarship and also about filling in the gaps.
My boyfriend at the time was disinterested in spirituality but for some reason had the book “The Way of the Shaman” by Harner and I borrowed it. Actually, I stole it because I never got around to returning it, bad me. The study of Shamanism fell beautify in place next to my love of anthropology, archaeology and mythology. I read as much as I could, especially on the subjects of Celtic Shamanism and Seiðr magick. More of the Matthews and also some Mircea Eliade, Tom Cowan, Peter Berresford Ellis,… Continue reading
The Course of My Studies Part One
“At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman. Do you remember?” – From: When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone, 1931 – 2011
Like many Pagans, Merlin Stone’s book was amongst the first I found. Interestingly, I find that many Pagans my age or younger have, in fact, not read this book; as well as others like it such as “The Wise Wound” for an example. I was not like many of my generation’s young Pagans in that my very first book on Paganism did not come from the hand of Silver Ravenwolf.
This is a blog post I have been considering writing for a little while now. I was also considering reading it for the podcast, but I worry it might be boring to listen to. So, in honour of the memory of such persons as Merlin Stone, here goes …
My first literary foray into Magick, Witchcraft and Paganism came from fairy tales of course; Jack and the Bean Stalk, Disney, Mom reading ‘The Hobbit” to us. Like many children I played witches brew with mud and crud in the back yard, tapped stones with my sparkly cheerleading baton to wake the fairies, pretended I… Continue reading
My Soap Box
The (larger) Pagan Community and the smaller Pagan communities (within a region or city) are like any community or movement. There are great things and not so great things and maybe even a few things that are less than desirable. Whether it is the mountain biking scene, a local Catholic parish, a quilters’ guild, your place of work or your local Pagan community there is always going to be problems and annoyances. Such as gossip, personal conflicts, poor planning of events, even the occasional abusive jerk. The only way to totally avoid such things would be to avoid the human race as a whole.
Just as the Pagan Community attracts people who are free thinking, artistic, interesting, open minded, creative and spiritual; it can also attract the odd drama queen, womanizer or person who believes that they are a reincarnated elf from the planet Zooboo. Every religion and spiritual movement has its crazies and fanatics. Our fringe element might throw paint on a lady for wearing fur, dress like a vampire, create gossip and drama at a ritual, or go to class carrying a Druid staff. Far better than shooting abortion doctors, blowing up buildings and protesting soldier’s funerals, I… Continue reading
The Bus Driver
Last night I dreamed that I was on a long, multi-day, chartered bus trip with many of my co-religionists. The hired bus driver was a quiet and professional Muslim.
My fellow bus mates became very upset that the bus driver did not want to make friends and socialize with them. They were angry that he refused to listen to the usual “Pagans are not Satan worshippers, we are good people” spiel.
It go the point that most of them had all piled up at the front of the bus demanding to know why the bus driver wouldn’t accept the fact that Wiccans and Pagans are good people too! “Why didn’t he join us for meals and talk to us?”
The driver kept repeating that he was just a bus driver and it wasn’t his job.
The Pagans grew more and more insistent and upset. Sad and angry the bus driver did not want to be friends or hear about how they are good people. “Why won’t you validate us?’ they cried. “You monotheists are all the same! Judgmental!”
The driver was getting so distracted that the bus began to swerve on the hiway. I climbed my way into the aisle… Continue reading
Project Pagan Enough
From Fire Lyte, over at Inciting a Riot:
So, Project Pagan Enough is a movement, a cause, a Harmonious Riot that includes bloggers, podcasters, pagans, non-pagans, me, you, and the whole pagan community. It is my hope that the Project Pagan Enough logo becomes a beacon of progress and change for those of us living a magical life. By putting the Project Pagan Enough icon on your podcast’s site, blog, or other website, you’re making a set of promises:
- You are pagan enough, despite how you look, act, smell, dress, believe, or are.
- You recognize that others are pagan enough despite their appearance, smell, manner of dress, belief, practice, or other aspect.
- You recognize that you can have an academic debate on the finer points of belief or practice, but that it does not take away from someone else’s level of being pagan.
- You welcome, befriend, and encourage others in the pagan community despite their appearance, dress, or other physical or superficial characteristic.
- You promise to treat members of other faiths, despite the faith, with honest-to-goodness fairness, equality, and grace, not judging them or their faith based on the actions of fringe members of their same faith.
Like the… Continue reading
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