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After my marriage went away, and my husband was in trouble and I didn't have the money to raise my son, there was a question of custody. One reason why I left it at him being with a relative was he needed an example of a good man to grow up with, didn't trust Big Brothers, needed a whole family, and I had no plans to get married again. And financially I was barely making it. But along with that was that while it hadn't been brought up before with social services, I made no secret of my religion. The social worker couldn't do a thing about it but she didn't like it. I knew I'd be judged with that in mind, looking for something else they'd find.
I left things where his life wasn't disrupted and mine got to have a chance to recover, but I often wonder if I might have made a different decision if things had been otherwise.
Where I lived, in the inland area of socal, was heavily evangelical, and as I wore my pent all the time then as I still do, they didn't think anying of cornering you to 'pray' for you. Each area is different, but the groups there didn't advertise. You knew someone trusted to be invited since the fundies liked to 'infiltrate' and then do their thing.
A few years before, there had been an open and legal circle in the part in Long Beach, with permits and everything, and a group of *off duty* cops (couldn't do it on duty) decided to intervien, and demanded permits messed up a circle in progress, harrassed everyone with ID and do forth, then decided it must be legal. None were ever disciplined over it and people just went home.
Interestingly in Oklahoma, where its very Christian, its a private thing. Nobody had made a comment about the pent or acted put off. They take religion very seriously here, but it seems to be a more personal importance. I'm not too fond of some of the politics, but the people and their personal actions mean more to me.
Divorce is one of the reasons a lot of witches will Join the UU churches. It gives Paganism a more "legitimate" feel for lawyers and judges and you can honestly say you go to church.
I used to be in the IE too! There was one ritual we did a while back that was at a park. I wanna say it was in Riverside, but can't remember much about it, like where or which Sabbat it was even. Just that it was a sprial labrynth and I wore cute little red shoes. LOL! Anyway, we had a permit and everything... but some people complained and called the cops. Luckily the cops knew most of our elders well enough that they just came by to say hi, checked our permit and left. That was the most "harrasment" we ever got though. But Ecclasia is a pretty big and active group in the community, so that probably helped.
Divorce is one of the reasons a lot of witches will Join the UU churches. It gives Paganism a more "legitimate" feel for lawyers and judges and you can honestly say you go to church.
I used to be in the IE too! There was one ritual we did a while back that was at a park. I wanna say it was in Riverside, but can't remember much about it, like where or which Sabbat it was even. Just that it was a sprial labrynth and I wore cute little red shoes. LOL! Anyway, we had a permit and everything... but some people complained and called the cops. Luckily the cops knew most of our elders well enough that they just came by to say hi, checked our permit and left. That was the most "harrasment" we ever got though. But Ecclasia is a pretty big and active group in the community, so that probably helped.
I took the Wicca 101 class at Dragonmarsh, and most of those in the group there joined Ecclasia. Today I wish I had.
I think Ecclasia is the only group in that area who is relatively public. There are others, but they need a member or known trusted person to vouch for you. I had a lot of fun at their open events, even went to a few evening ones. It was just the amount of 'this is how we do things' which put me off from joining. If I'd stayed out there I might have eventually done so.
At the Tribal center somewhere near the end of Van Buren, the local Native gathering place they elected to invite wiccan and other pagans to participate in some activities and had a very comfortable relationship with them. My timing is awful, and found out a few weeks before I moved. But I wore my pent just because the fundies felt oblidged to try to save you, and I enjoyed telling them Blessed Be as I walked away. The place I miss most of all there is Dragonmarsh. Every chance I had I went to visit Eric and it was the retreat from all the crazyness where it was soooo nice and peaceful.
The pagan pride day I went to out more towards the desert was where the christan group gave us all the water and were completly unbothered by the ritual and stood and watched. A few even tried the drumming circle. So you can't generalize about anyone.
I would be SO happy to find even a smaller group here in OK to share with. I don't mind solitary stuff, but it was very nice not to.
For me, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I'm in black/ red mood, especially with the tall black boots. Or I'll be in yellow mood, and combine it with blue. Or the blue mood. I have mounds of blue clothes. And lots of boots. And then there is really really cold and all I care about is how many layers 'warm' equals.
You will never ever see me in orange. A more awful color doesn't exist.
If I'm doing a ceremony, I usually do use earthtones as it just seems proper.
You will never ever see me in orange. A more awful color doesn't exist.
Unless it is washing across the sky as the sun sets, a bright pumpkin amid its dense, dark green leaves, a cardinal's beak, a cute little eft sitting on a mound of dewy moss, or the flowing mane of a lady's hair...
Unless it is washing across the sky as the sun sets, a bright pumpkin amid its dense, dark green leaves, a cardinal's beak, a cute little eft sitting on a mound of dewy moss, or the flowing mane of a lady's hair...
Well, everything in moderation is reccomended. Sky's with orange usually have a fire nearby so I like the rosy pink ones better.
Ah the hair. In an unsuccessful attmept to dye my hair red a week and a half before the wedding I used a bottle of this temperary stuff you put on to slightly tint, but left it on an hour. My hair was this orangy red brick color. I never washed my hair as much in that week... and bought real products after that.
I do remember how much my sons scout leader was when they got to be cubscouts... and he didn't have to wear the huge bright orange shirt which made him look like a large pumpkin, lol.
I think it is absolutely correct that people here, and everywhere don't understand Wicca or Paganism. Wicca is often Equated with Satanism and Paganism (which is a theism of a Pantheist/deist sort, so I foggily understand) with atheism (and not even atheists understand atheism).
I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that a lack of organization (and that's not a criticism, but a factor) has led to a lot of very different followings springing up and it might be difficult for Pagans and Witches and the like to explain what they are and what they are definitely not to the public if they are not agreed amongst themselves.
While it rather offends the free spirit (and this is the case with atheism too) to talk of organization, salaried administrators, PR wanks and accountants for Athe's sake, I suspect that some kind of information centre at least is going to be required to help in clearing up the general incomprehension on the part of the general public...including me, who hasn't even looked to see whether you've actually got a Wiccan and Pagan information bureau...
Agreed! It is the absolute individualism of Paganism that has made it so hard for "outsiders" to understand us. My Paganism is likely to be different from "yours," or "theirs," etc., but I still fall under the umbrella of Pagan.
If I am the only Pagan people know, they most likely think all Pagans are like me. While my husband and I are non-conformists, we aren't militant. We're more free spirits. I dress like a hippie, and hubby knits and crochets. We're not doing it to raise eyebrows, we simply enjoy these things. And they aren't even part of our religious beliefs. Yet one man actually asked me if all Pagan men do "that...soft...womanly stuff."
There is no W/P info bureau that I am aware of, although Circle Sanctuary might qualify as they do some outreach. There are documents that a lot of Ws/Ps agree on for PR. They sort of give a general sense of what is believed and done. They are mostly ignored by non-Ws/Ps. None I know of have ever read or heard of them, or Circle Sanctuary.
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