- DOGMA -- when you go around demanding that others conform to a set of rules and beliefs that is DOGMA! Wiccans supposedly don't embrace that. I'm very sorry to hear that some do. But as with any group of people, you always have fanatics -- unfortunately, Wiccans are no exception.
- RESPECT OTHER PATHS -- it isn't very respectful when one group tries to force their beliefs on another group -- Wiccans included. Come on peeps, other people have other ways. If they want to be Warlocks, let them. Wiccans reclaimed the word Witch -- that's a BIG controversial word. Here in the US you are swimming against the stream of at least 80% of the population which is Christian and has hundreds of years of indoctrination against the word Witch. SO WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH SOMEONE CALLING THEMSELVES A WARLOCK?
- CONDEMNING AN ENTIRE GROUP BECAUSE OF A FEW IS WRONG! I can certainly understand being angry for being attacked by small minded people that refuse to accept any view that doesn't mirror their own. But seriously to condemn an entire group and wish them a hateful death like the Burning Times? I'm at a loss -- especially since the person has a powerful voice and following. I guess I'm disappointed. But oh well, he didn't ask for my acceptance or permission to have his spiteful ruminations. I am no one to him, not even a blip on the radar. Not even roadkill. But I am deeply saddened that someone who has the power to knit the Pagan community together instead chose to help blow it apart.
I find it more than saddening that the Pagan community in all of its diversity is fraught with hatred for each other and their differences. In all my life, and for all my fears about being attacked for Wiccan, I always centered them around being frightened of retaliation from Christians because of the anti-Wich and Witchcraft teachings of their faith. But I have to say, not ONCE have I ever been attacked by a Christian -- not even verbally. But I have been verbally abused by PAGANS. WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT?
I am very curious about all Pagan paths and I respect each one. Some are decidely not for me, but others are intriguing. Still I have stayed on the Wiccan path because I seem better suited to it. And yes, from my earliest years I have been called a *good two-shoes* looooong before I donned my cape and pointy Witch hat. It is my nature. The easiest way to sum up who I am without affixing any religion to it is "Do that which is Right" -- simple. And that is how I live -- I assess each situation I am confronted with from the view point "what is the right thing to do". And I assure you, that as simple as that statement sounds, it isn't. Maybe I overly complicate things -- but determining what is *right* doesn't equate to *what's best for me* or *what gets me what I want*. I'm not a self-centered person and yet I'm not a martyr type either. I truly hunt for the middle ground and try to find the right thing to do. It is a given that no one solution is going to make everyone happy -- therefore *Harm None* gets voided in every decision daily. Therefore, many scoff at Harm None as being ridiculous. I personally think of Harm None as reminding us not to run out into the world and mindlessly and/or vindictively cause pain and suffering to others -- to remember to do the least harm. True it says Harm None. So, yes, I respect Harm None but I follow a more practical rede in my path of WiseCraft -- Do that Which is Right so I adopted this adaptation of the Rede:
"Do as ye will if it harm naught,
If it harm some, then do as ye ought"
I didn't author that rede. I found it online but I don't know where I found it -- I remember reading it and it stuck with me and I never forgot it. If anyone knows the source of this version of the Rede, I would be grateful if you could share it with me.
I have always been solitary except for 3 years while I lived in New Orleans. Being part of a coven was one of the most joyful times of my life. I definitely miss it. I sometimes consider seeking Pagan events to mingle with like minded people. But then I find that the Pagan community is not *like-minded* at all. That should be something to rejoice in -- to be able to revel and marvel in all the differences coming together and have the ability to learn so much from others. But what I find time and again is that Wiccans aren't welcome in the Pagan community. So, I am a Wiccan with nowhere to go except my own backyard. It is very sad that we can't all get along. And it is even sadder that I fear more greatly to walk among my own kind than those who are not. But I won't shed my Wiccan identity to fit in. I am Wiccan and I am proud.
Bright Blessings and Blessed Be!
Rayven Michaels
Wiccan Witch of the Midwest.
