Staying safe, in your own safe little world. Is that where you are? Many of us choose our adventures, how far we will go depends on where we have our safety nets.

For instance, have you told anyone you're Pagan? Have you told your family, friends, co-workers, boss? I'm not suggesting you rush out and do it. I'm certainly not daring you to tell them either. It's a personal thing. Being Pagan is a personal thing in itself. A personal choice and something just for you.

It should not, however, be some dark secret. Something deep, dangerous and naughty. That's not what Paganism should be. It's not something you should have to hide from your family. Being Pagan is about caring for life, the Earth and old traditions. How can they really object to that? Still, you can find the safety zone. You can let them know you're into nature, environmental issues and historical traditions. You can be Pagan without saying the word Pagan to them.

People don't always get that. They think they have to hide being Pagan because others won't like it or will be shocked by it. They turn it into a deep, dark secret. By doing that they make it become something dark, secret. No wonder so many people still think of Pagans as devil worshippers.

You have the power to find where your safe world is, set the boundaries and set the record straight if you choose to. Let people know you're Pagan, if you can or if you choose to. But, don't make it some dark mystery. Don't let them find an altar, a book or a pentacle in your room without explanation. If you make being Pagan something to be ashamed of or fear you hurt all of us.

Instead be proud of who you are and be as honest about it as you can. For me, the only person I couldn't talk to about being Pagan was my Grandmother. It scared her. She couldn't think of it as anything but dangerous for me. She didn't understand that it's not something dark, but something light. She didn't know what I made of being Pagan, for me. She only knew the stereotypes she had heard all her life.

Let's play word association.

Magick?...

Life's energy. Sparkle. Power. Fantasy. The art of the wise. A gift from the angels. The air I breathe. Acts of will. Directed Energy. Something science can't explain. Medicine. Science of the mind. Nature and the elements.

How do you label magic/k? What does it mean for you? Could you put it all into a haiku? Just curious.

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, April, 3, 2003.

I've strongly felt that the Wiccan Rede defines the rules. With a few simple words, everything important is said. I've never thought it was open to many shades of grey, but people tend to find what they look for when they want to bend the rules. Sometimes the rules have been bent like cooked spaghetti. As soon as you have to ask "what does harm mean" you're drifting into grey. Harm is harm.

Of course, I have encountered my own shade of grey when it comes to killing bugs. Not that I use magick to kill bugs, but if you are a true Witch you shouldn't be causing harm, right? Bug killing is pretty harmful to the bugs. But, I finally decided if the bugs invade my space they must die for it. However, I will not kill them outside, that's their space. Grey, but it works. Not quite what the black and white Rede would agree with but I can live with that bit of grey.

Anyway, this week this quote in a quiz was interesting and has given me something to think about.

"Nature is neither black nor white. Nature is. As am I." From the Paradox Discovered website.

It makes sense and yet... The philosophy of the Rede also makes sense, a lot of sense. The idea of karma (and reincarnation in a sense) has always seemed based on the Rede. If you bring harm to others you will see it come back to you, eventually. I don't see the Rede as a threat though. It wasn't created to be the Pagan version of hell. Still, it's very black and white.

Nature is made of colours, more than just grey for sure. Nature is also hard and based on survival as much as it is on life and nurturing. Should the Rede be more flexible? Can it afford to be flexible? How far can it bend before it becomes irrelevant? Or has it always been irrelevant? After all, being Pagan is about nature, not human history. The Rede however, is man made, not something taken from nature.

Very interesting, something you could debate and philosophize about for a very long time.

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, March, 16, 2003.

Do you care about history?

I love reading a bit here and there. I studied history in high school. I would have taken it in college but it wasn't available among my optional courses.

Mostly I like reading about women in history ancient history and old cultures and customs. Being a Pagan/ Witchy type person I tend to read about superstitions and old traditions connected to nature and ceremonies too. I once spent several hours in the public library reading about wedding traditions and omens. That was long before my own wedding.

When I first heard of Wicca I went to the library to read about it. I wanted to know where it came from and who was involved. How did they feel about the things that matter most to me? That's all history too. Most, of the people who created Wicca are no longer here to tell us their side of things. If you go even farther back, the first Witches and Pagans are hopelessly lost to us. We couldn't even come up with a reliable source to know who the first Witch really was. Just some woman gathering herbs and helping people I would guess. But, you can't know. That's something lost to history.

History gives us a past, an anchor. Whatever else you learn about, it's all current or in the future. Nothing but history teaches you about mistakes, conquests, people and possibilities that have come before you.

Not everyone appreciates history. Some think of it as just dusty old books that don't matter any more. But, I think differently. How can you follow your path if you don't know where you've been and what you've passed along the way?

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, March, 1, 2003.

What do you do with Pagan kids?

I think kids are too young to get started on the more serious side of being Pagan. Partly because they are too uninformed to make the decision to be Pagan versus something else. Also, calling themselves Pagan could become a problem with other members of the family or kids/ teachers at school. Most people don't understand Paganism and thus they don't trust it. Kids are a bit too defenseless in that situation.

That doesn't mean kids can't be Pagan too. Calling yourself Pagan is not being Pagan. What is being Pagan about, at it's heart? To me it's nature, the Earth, life, history, science, traditions and environmentalism. Is there any reason kids can't be involved in those things, of course not. Kids just love to talk about the supernatural too, few kids don't enough the spooky element of Halloween. You can add the facts about ghosts, Witches and such to their ghost stories.

Teach kids to appreciate nature, take them on walks outdoors, show them how to recycle and make it a priority to learn about history and science. Involve them in your rituals. Take them on a nature walk to gather leaves, stones, etc. Let them know what your altar is for, don't make it a big mystery, but don't make it sound too "weird" either. Get them started writing a journal, they don't have to know it's a Book of Shadows. Spend time with them, that's the most important thing for any kids, Pagan or otherwise. Remember, they learn from you. What you do is what they see and what they believe.

You can introduce kids to the Wiccan Rede, the basic ideas behind Paganism and what you believe about Gods, Goddesses, life and death. But, make sure they understand not everyone shares your same beliefs. For one thing you want them to make their own decision about being Pagan. For another you don't want them to be confused when they discover people who disagree with Pagan ideas.

Kids haven't lived enough to have a deeper understanding and they don't know how to protect themselves from those who think Pagans are evil, devil worshipping types. That's the main reason I think I would just let kids see the heart of Paganism and introduce them to the body later. Likely, they will have had a life of living like a Pagan and it will be a very smooth transition to become Pagan officially.

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, February, 20, 2003.