First Vlog!

I have made my first vlog!

"What is Paganism" done entirely in American Sign Language! I am super excited. Here is the translation for the video. I realize now that I made a few mistakes and could have explained some things a little better, but it's great for my first time. I am hoping to make more videos in the future. Well, maybe!

Translation:

Hello! Welcome to the Fat Pagan (Signed "Thick Witch). My name is Kit, meaning baby fox. I have been a pagan for the past 10 years. About two or three years ago, I started studying American Sign Language. I love and cherish the language so much! In fact, I prefer signing.

Recently, I was searching on Youtube for "ASL + Pagan". I found VERY FEW videos, none of which were about the Pagan religion itsel. Now, I would like to discuss it; what's it about and what does it mean?

First, maybe you think that paganism is evil or Devil worship. Maybe your mental images are evil witches, Harry Potter, Charmed, etc. No, these are not part of Paganism.
If not, then what’s paganism?

A label!

Whoa, a label? I just said religion!

Yes! It is a label.

Here is an example.

You know about the Christian religion? Christianity encompasses a variety of different sects; for example, Catholicism, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Amish, etc.

Paganism and Christianity are kind of similar. Paganism is just as diverse as Christianity. BUT, all Christian sects have common beliefs: the Bible is true; there is ONE God; Jesus; Jesus himself was sinless and holy; Heaven and Hell; the Final Judgment; and so-on.

Paganism has only one common belief. All Pagan people themselves identify as pagan. That’s it!

Now, some paganism examples are:
• Wicca. Wicca has a long list of different sects but I won't be discussing them. Maybe I will discuss them later, on another video. But, a few examples are: Eclectic, Dianic, Faery, British Traditional
•   Reconstruction/Revivalism (R/R). R/R has many different parts as well, and maybe there will be a video too. Few examples: Egyptian, Greek, Romanian, Irish.
• Gothic, list: Celtic, Deborean, Hereditary, Pictish
• Witchcraft
• Sometimes Heathenry
Et cetera.

Now, Heathenry is included only sometimes. Many religions NOT included in paganism. Examples: Hinduism, Buddhism, Native religions, Shinto, really religions themselves label Pagan NOT. Depending on who you ask, Heathens sometimes call themselves Pagan and sometimes do not.

I think I'm finished. I described a little about what paganism means. I briefly talked about the different beliefs, but didn't really go in depth. Maybe a future video will describe some of the different beliefs individually and really describe in depth.

Any questions? Comments? Go ahead and type them below.

Now for a typical pagan goodbye: merry meet, merry part, merry meet again! Bye!

Same Thing, Different Skin?

Recently there was a discussion question posted on a religious facebook page I follow that was a submission by an atheist. "[W]hy believe in deities and supernatural without evidence?"


Four of the first five comments said "faith" and is repeated again over the rest of the comments. Some said that there is no harm in believing in "something that encourages you to be a better person." One man even said "because... there has to be more."

Can you guess which religion this question was aimed at? If you said Paganism, Witchcraft, and Wicca, you would be right. Curiously, these are the same arguments made for Christianity (and other monotheistic religions). It seems that many pagans taken their old religion and just re-wrap it. Take the belief in Karma in our community:

Fear-based Karma sounds an awful lot like the Wiccan Threefold Law. It also sounds a like like the dogma of Christianity, where your actions can either land you in Heaven or Hell, and God is the judge and jury of you. Why? Why do this? Is it familiarity, or that you truly don't believe in anything else? Is it because you were sick of the company you had in your old beliefs and decided to put yourself elsewhere while still believing? Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with believing in the doctrine of Christianity, but please don't call it Paganism because it isn't.

Now, back to the question and comments; why exactly do you need faith to believe in the supernatural and deities without evidence? Faith is a dirty word, and if there is absolutely no evidence, then there is no reason to worship or "believe" in something. "Evidence" is a tricky word, however, and can and is manipulated to suit the need of whomever is using it. Personally, I have my evidence through personal contact, results, feelings, and experiences. My "evidence" is mostly subjective. Is that enough to convince others, especially atheists or scientists? No, and I wouldn't try to because Paganism is a personal path. Again and again, you will come across the "personal path" tid bit around the community because it is true. I will not have the same experience as the covenmate standing next to me or the solitary doing the same exact ritual. "Seeing, contrary to popular wisdom, isn't believing. It's where belief stops, because it isn't needed any more." - Terry Pratchett

Believing in something "because it doesn't hurt to have morals" is a poor argument.
It's Pascal's Wager.

"The Quirmian philosopher Ventre put forward the suggestion that "Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right?" When he died he woke up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of them said "We're going to show you what we think of Mr. Clever Dick in these parts..." --Terry Pratchett

 You can have morals without believing in a higher power. Not killing, stealing, or lying doesn't have anything to do with Gods or Goddesses, it has more to do with just being a good person in general. Perhaps some Gods and Goddesses care about whether someone does these things, but others couldn't care less and might even advocate for it if it teaches a lesson or is just fun entertainment. Some Deities are not good role models for morals as well. Take being faithful to one's spouse and the example of promiscuous Zeus. This kind of flawless role model is the structure of the omni-everything Christian God. 

Hecate by William Blake

Which brings me to another point: it has come to my attention that our Deities are being twisted. Hekate, for example, has been praised as a kind, motherly Goddess who cares about humans and their well being, especially the witches who worship her. Hekate is a night Goddess, a Moon Goddess, who presides over crossroads, fire, magick, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, necromancy, and sorcery, among other things. Her abode is the Underworld, and "Zeus the son of Cronos honored above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honor also in starry heaven, and is honored exceedingly by the deathless gods." Hekate alone heard the rape of Persephone and did not come to her aid, then ten days after Persephone was missing, Hekate finally told Demeter. She was the consort of Underworld Hermes, and both were leaders of ghosts and the springtime return of Persephone. She was highly regarded, powerful, and dark, not some fluff-and-bunnies kind of Goddess. Many other Deities are getting personality lifts nowadays, and it seems like the trend is towards righteous, loving, all powerful, and caring gods.

Lastly, there "has to be more"? Why? What if all of this is just in our heads, an idea that has persisted and only lasts for our short, troubled life? What is so wrong about saying there might not be an afterlife for our consciousness and the neural synapses that make "me" up will stop and decompose into the Earth? What if this is an elaborate lie to keep the masses in line? What if this world isn't real and only in our dreams we are alive? What are you scared of, that all of your hard work and dedication and rituals and spells and beliefs are empty and meaningless?

So, what do you do? If there really is nothing after this, what do you do? You do whatever it is that you were doing. What will you leave behind? The leaders in our community have done so much in their lives to further our causes, and they will forever be remembered; Selena Fox, Patrick McCollum, Starhawk, Jason Pitzl-Waters, Star Foster, and even Silver Ravenwolf. Even if you don't think you can do the extraordinary feats like these people have, you can do "small" things like volunteer somewhere, donate, or help someone.

Anyway, Paganism isn't Christianity and shouldn't be made into just another flavor of it. For many, it was the doctrine of Christianity that made us leave in the first place. I just hope that this trend ceases before I grow old.

As always, the Pagan Disclaimer: everyone has the right to their own beliefs and can choose what they want to do and how they practice without harassment or prejudice. Do as you wish, so long as it doesn't trample on the toes of others and deny their rights.

Interestingly, the Lola Witch picture comes with a pretty cool article on Fluff Bunnies and (a new term for me) Diet Wiccans. Pagans, Fluff Bunnies may be newbies or movie witches or whatever you want to call them, but they are still our brothers and sisters in spirituality. They are still our relatives. We can't discredit them or call them less of a Pagan because of what they believe, and that goes for the pagans I talked about above. Even Christo-Wiccans are still our relatives, despite how I feel about them. I firmly believe we are a family, and we should treat each other as such. Yeah, there is the crazy Uncle Ted who sucks his toes, and Grandma Silky who bakes weed brownies, and Brother Lambert who showers less than a French peasant did (history lesson, French peasants were known to shower only once a year), but they are still family. We should totally chastise and argue and even throw fits, but we should remember that we should spend just as much time congratulating, playing around, and having a merry time with each other. So, all in all, have a good time.

Divine Sex and Labels

Freyja and the Dwarves

Recently there came across my Facebook page via Coven Avalon (I recommend liking the page, by the way. Really good info there) a very interesting point that I had not seen in the Pagan community before that was discussed on another page I frequent (also a good place to hang around). Apparently, some pagans call some Gods "horny buggers," "bums," or "alcoholic" while they call Goddesses "sluts" and "hookers" that have "nice tits." It was noted that Christians don't do this with Jesus or Mary. Of course, some of these labels are true in their core, but is there a line?

First and foremost, Paganism (the broad range of nature religions) is a sex based religion. We openly state that fertility centers around the majority of our teachings, beliefs, rituals, and life. The stories of all the Gods and Goddesses various sexual adventures are well k
nown, from Aphrodite's promiscuity behind Hephaestus' back to Freyja's payment to four dwarves for a gold necklace to Zeus' many, many consorts to Loki's many children. 


However, that doesn't mean that we should disrespect those deities by calling them sluts or whore mongers. Even the gods themselves demanded respect. Remember: no matter what, even the least powerful deity can still whip your ass.

Don't get me wrong, however. I totally agree that we should be able to pal around with the Gods and give them a "good rubbing" every now and then. I didn't sign up for snobbish deities who can't take jokes, but there are some jokes that you just don't tell. Considering that a good bit of our faith emphasizes honor -- cultivating it and respecting it-- it seems disingenuous to insult our Gods and Goddesses like that.

Secondly, I think that a good bit of this kind of thinking stems from our society that views sex as a bad thing or something for reproduction that should only be preformed by two couples (typically one male and one female). When a counterculture like ours meets the mainstream culture, there will always be friction until either the counterculture disintegrates or the mainstream accepts the different thought process. Already we are seeing a different attitude about sex than there was in the 1960s, abet the attitude towards women is just a different type of objectification but more on that in a sec.

Meanwhile, many Pagans believe that sex isn't some sinful thing, that everyone deserves to have it and enjoy it, that it isn't only for procreation, and it isn't something to be afraid of. (Some even believe that everyone should have equal access to birth control and planned parenthood and equal marriage of consenting adults of any gender or number.......) Sex is something that even our Deities participate in with relish. In ancient Rome, sex and sexuality was viewed way differently than we see it today. While Ancient Rome is not an exact model we should use today, what with our matriarchal/egalitarian religion and their strict patriarchal system, it is worthy to note that there is no Latin word for the concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality and that many ideas of sexuality are starting to crop up again in our society.

To specifically address the issue of slut shaming our Deities; if it is acceptable for one of our own community members to slut shame our own Goddess, what do you think that says about the way women in our community are thought of? Do you think that person gives two shits or even thinks about how his/her words affect the attitudes and views of women in general? Does he/she recognize the damage that is being continued by relegating a supposedly Divine being to being something like a second class citizen which therefore puts women "in their place?" What about the objectification of women that is so rampant in our society?

From the SlutWalks

Then again, if we want to see the flip side of this, by labeling a powerful Divine being a slut who has also been known to reject the negativity of that word and revels in Her own Sexuality freely regardless, we (women) in essence reclaim the word "slut" and our own sexuality. We take the word and construct a new meaning that doesn't involve shame, sadness or bitterness but evokes power, happiness with ourselves, and acceptance of others.

Which then do we as Pagans want? Do we want to empower the Feminine or do we want to tear her down and disgrace her? Do we want to degrade the Goddesses that Christianity has for so long done already?

Do we cave to the patriarchy and dissolve our egalitarian religion or do we push back with unyielding resolve?

What do we want for our daughters and sons?

Nice Change of Pace

First I wanna say SQUEEEEE over this picture! Serious love, man. Anyone have the artist for this?

Second, I swear I'm working on some posts, it is just taking forever. Something soon, I promise!

College Pagan Tips

For those of you who are in college, it can be tough juggling your school work, your job, your family, and your spiritual life. Whether you are a recent high school graduate or just going back to college after years in the workforce, college is a stressful time and nothing to snuff at. Grades you make now will haunt you forever, and we aren't even talking about the possible flak you will get from family if you snub them in favor of better grades. There seems like there is never time for your own spiritual growth, or any of the things you previously were doing. Astral projection, meditation, rituals, Esbats. Maybe you still squeeeeeeze in time for the Sabbats, but soon that won't be enough.

How do you do it? Nothing is simple, and there will never be an easy answer. If you find one or are given one, immediate doubt should be cast upon it. So, here are a few suggestions that might help anyway.

(source, which happens to be a very interesting article.)

First, sit down at some point and make your weekly schedule. If you are stable enough to plan a whole month, or even three months, ahead, do it. Make an hourly breakdown of your activities. Include study time, homework hours, chores, physical exercise of your choice, class times, work times, sleeping (8 hours or more) and naps if you can, and anything else that may eat your time up. Don't include any spiritual time yet. Study time should be as long as, or twice as long as, your class runs. If you have a one hour class, expect to study for two hours. Time management is a MUST.

(Side track here -- don't think you are going to study for that whole two hours. You must take breaks or your retention of the information will decrease steadily.  Study for 30 mins at a time, and then take a complete 10 min break. Trust me, you will get way more out of your studying if you do so. Also, do NOT procrastinate and wait to get things done on the day something is due. You will burn yourself out very quickly. This is coming from a lifelong procrastinator, so I know what I am talking about.)

Once you have your "available" times, you can either plug them with much needed down time, or start filling the gaps with spiritual time (or both!). I would suggest carving out 30 mins each day to sit outside and just soak up what you can. You can sit in the morning or night and drink some warm tea, stay silent and listen to the sounds that you hear. Touch the bare ground, if you can, with your feet, hands, or whole body. If you want to spend some time with the Elements, make a day where you make efforts to connect with that Element alone. You can also have a day for the God and one for the Goddess, and one more for all of them. I suggest making the last one on a day where you can do a ritual. Here is a general outline you can do:

Sunday: Sun's day. Make an effort to greet the Sun as He rises in the morning. Before you grab your tea or coffee, try a quick Sun Salutation. While you are preforming the salutation, you are welcome to think about the role of the God, where He is in His stage of life or death, and how it applies to your own life. Afterwards, you can go get your drink and bask in the Sun until you are done or have to leave.

Monday: Moon's day. Go outside at night when you have some quiet time and commune with the Goddess. Drink some non-caffeinated tea (but not coffee, because it will keep you awake) and bask in the rays of the Moon. When you are done with your tea, you can preform Shavasana, which will help with sleep. While you do this meditation, you can either keep your mind clear or you can think about the Goddess, Her role and what stage of Her life She is at, and how it applies to your life.

Tuesday: Fire's day. Fire is the warmth in our homes, the flame that cooks our food, and the spark that is our spirit. With Fire, anything can be transformed. Paper turns to ash, water turns to steam, and metal turns into a sword. Fire is connected to sex, light, and the soul. Fire lights the way to the Otherworld, is the spark in ourselves that attract spiritual beings, and burns away darkness. A great devotion for fire is flame meditations. Since I can't find the one I want, I will just write it here.

Light a candle and get comfortable. Sit where you can still see every bit of the flame, but your eyes will also naturally fall on the flame when you relax. Notice that the very outside of the flame is red, which represents your outer body or your skin. There isn't very much red, but when you go past that you see orange. This is your outer projection, what you put out into the world and what other people see. It is a facade to your overall being. Moving past this sliver, you find the bulk of your being, the white. This is your ego, your conscious mind that voice all your thoughts. As you wade through this part, you come to the yellow, which is the preconscious part of you which bridges your conscious and unconscious mind. Past this door is the blue of your unconscious mind, your soul, the inner most part of your being. This is the heart of who you are, and where your thoughts and dreams originate. Slowly expand the blue into the yellow, and then into the white, into the orange, and finally into the red. Your soul touches each part of your body and is not separated from it. Feel the power and energy that is you. Stay there for a moment before withdrawing the blue from the red, leaving just a little bit behind. Withdraw from the orange, the white, and the yellow, all the while leaving just a little bit of the blue behind. Finally, the blue is back and it is time to withdraw your conscious past the yellow, past the white, past the orange, and finally the red. Ground, and you will be done! 

Yoga pose: Warrior III and Humble Warrior.  

Wednesday: Air's day. Air surrounds us very second of the day. It keeps us alive by driving many energy cycles within our bodies and every other being on this planet -- animal and plant alike. Air is connected to thought, knowledge, and our breath. Singing, dancing, laughter, and being aware of your breathing are great devotions. Go outside and throw your soul into the wind. Feel the wind pass through your body and sweep up your spirit. Air is almost never serious, and will take you up and play around. It will make you want to laugh and feel light-hearted. REMEMBER, keep a spiritual tether between your body and your spirit, because Air is similar to the Fae in that it will lead you astray and can get you lost. Don't worry, though, keep your head on and you will be fine. Yoga pose: Cat and Cobra.

Thursday: Earth's day. Earth is around us, always. It is what we stand on, what our buildings are made of, and where we get our food and clothes. Earth is connected with the body, wealth and prosperity, and our roots. Earth is grounding, which is a good devotion. Go outside and sit on the bare Earth. Bend over and smell the dirt, touch the grass, feel the energy that comes from it. Sit up with your legs crossed and begin the Tree of Life meditation. Do the chakras if you feel like it. Another good devotion is connecting with a tree. Approach a tree that you wish to connect with and ask it if it minds helping out. If you get a yes or positive vibe, then continue by sitting with your back on the tree. Clear your mind and reach out towards the tree, feeling its entire body. Feel up the tree and into its leaves. Feel the life that lives on or in that tree, and the movement of nutrients. Follow it back down into the roots and notice how large and expansive the roots spread. As you get to know the tree, you can ask it to share any memories it may have. The older the tree, the more it knows. Do NOT lose yourself in the tree. Yoga position to try: Tree and Eagle.

Friday: Water's day. Water is connected with emotion, the astral realm, and blood. Water flows and keeps moving, going from the seen to the unseen. Scrying is a good water devotion. Another one is taking a cleansing herbal bath or taking a shower outside at night (if you have a privacy fence, a water hose with a water nozzle that sets to something soft, and some guaranteed alone time. Make sure you bring a towel with you outside!). If you take a bath, set out candles and make it like a ritual. Have music if you want, or make your own. Think about what water means to you and how it affects your life. Think about how water is the Universal Solvent, that with enough time everything dissolves into it, including your own negative emotions and bad vibes. Let water was it away, and thank it. Yoga position: Triangle and Half Moon.

Saturday: Ritual day. Do something special this day, anything you can think of. Place offerings, sit and commune, or go and volunteer somewhere. Do something nice and random: for instance, if you go shopping and you see someone struggling to pay their bill, you could help out. Or perhaps look out for another person. If you are going to do a ritual, I suggest you make your own. The more personal, the better.

Most of these ideas shouldn't take more than 30 minutes or so. If you have more to spend, great! Do it!! But if not, these will help you start. Remember that time management in college (and in high school too) is very important. Of course, no one is perfect and slip ups should be expected. Don't berate yourself. It happens.

If you have your own suggestions, feel free to put them in the comments! The more, the merrier. 

Blessed Be.

Paganism and Suicide

 So, you know I have been reading my sociology stuff lately for class, and I came across the research that was done on suicides and who was more likely to take their life than others. A French sociology named Emile Durkheim examined official records of suicides and found that

 "[M]en, Protestants, wealthy people, and the unmarried each had much higher suicide rates than women, Catholics and Jews, the poor, and married people. Durkheim explained these differences in terms of social integration: Categories of people with strong social ties had low suicide rates, and more individualistic people had high suicide rates."

It was said that those who had more freedom were the ones who committed suicide the most. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, men has a greater range of freedom than the house bound women did. However, freedom weakens social ties and thus the feelings of dependance, the "but they need me" feeling. Of course, this also ties well with unmarried, since the man doesn't feel tied to anything.

Of course, women were allowed out to have jobs, but only specific jobs, like sewing. (source)

A century later, Durkheim’s analysis still holds true. In 2009, there were 13.5 recorded suicides for every 100,000  white people,0 which is more than twice the rate for African Americans (5.1). For both races, suicide was more common among men than among women. White men (19.2) are almost four times as likely as white women (5) to take their own lives. Among African Americans, the rate for men (9.1) was more than five times that for women (1.6). (source) Soooo.......

"Applying Durkheim’s logic, the higher suicide rate among white people and men reflects their greater wealth and freedom, just as the lower rate among women and people of color reflects their limited social choices."

Factors that would decrease the likelihood of suicide was connection to a community (such as the close knit community of Catholics and Jews), strong family ties and dependency (like being married), and having a strong support system. Women tend to "process their experiences with friends. They discuss their feelings, seek feedback and take advice," Humans are social creatures and must have social interaction to stay sane, or alive in this case.

How does this apply to Paganism? A big part of Paganism, specifically Wicca, is about the freedom of being able to do what feels right. Solitaries dominate our community, and we have been compared to cats more than once. The Pagans I know tend to be very well off financially (or are in college to become financially well off) and typically aren't married. And I would bet dollars to donuts that the majority of Pagans are white (at least in the US). Individuality, white, "rich", unmarried. The up side is that most of the Pagans I have met tend to be women. .......

But, do Pagans commit suicide? The only suicide that I recall would be Tempest Smith, 11 years ago. Pagans don't have a stance on suicide because there is no central guideline. Pattie says it well:

"Because there is no Central Pagan Doctrine, or Big Book o’ Pagan Rules, it’s hard to say specifically what the “Pagan perspective” on suicide – or much of anything else – is. There’s not any sort of doctrinal perspective that is universal to all Pagans."

There is the Wiccan Harm None rule, which Pattie explains. But not everyone follows the Rede, nor are Wiccan. So why then do we not hear about suicides? Is it simply because A) we don't hear about the people who aren't relatively big in our community, B) there is a low suicide rate within our community, C) the families who do suffer from the tragedy do not want their child known as a pagan, D) something I can't think of, or E) all of the above?

Let's say that B is true. I believe that one of the best qualities of our community is the ability to strongly identify with others and to help them out as best we can. Even online, Pagans are still connected by forums, support groups, social media sites, email, etc. I remember when I was just starting out; the Pagan forums were my life line, my regular connection with like-minded individuals to share beliefs, opinions, troubles and basically my life. Sappy, yes. But without that support, I probably would have slipped back into depression. One of the topics that would always fire up the forum boards was suicide, but the turnout wasn't so much about the topic of suicide itself as it was about supporting the potentially suicidal poster.

It's like a cyber group hug!!! (Sorry, I can't help it.) ;P

Another probable reason why might lie in our beliefs of the family. Belief in a Divine family, a spiritual family, and our personal families is a good chunk of what is taught. The Goddess - our Mother, the God - our Father, and our general "sisters and brothers." The coven family, the High Priestess and High Priest (our "parents"), the higher initiated as our "older siblings" and the newcomers as our "younger siblings." Our relationship with the two spiritual and Divine families are just as complex as our blood families, and harbor just as much emotions (if not more). The kind of "responsibilities" are deep and truly personal. I would do anything for my coven mates, and they would (and have!) as well.

And even being a community of solitaries, we are still a community of one. We help our own, from housing to community projects to contributing to our spiritual relatives. Please, I beg everyone who reads this -- keep it up. Keep reaching out to people, keep offering them your help no matter what their creed or color or gender, keep being the kind of person you want to be every single day. Keep making a difference.




If you are thinking about suicide, please reach out to someone. Actually tell someone "I am considering suicide." Don't assume that people will understand vague allusions. People can be dense (Hi, I'm dense) and slow on the uptake, but there are people here to help you. If you want to talk to a suicide councilor, call the Nation Suicide Prevention hotline toll free at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you don't want to do that, you can always talk to me. You aren't alone. There is always someone there for you, no matter what. And there will always be someone who is afflicted by your death, so don't think you won't be missed. At the very least, I will miss you. <3