"I don't want any of that warlock garbage in my house!" A quiet night had transformed into a shouting match when a friend of mine had decided to tell his family that he, their raised Presbyterian golden child, was indeed… Pagan.
Some of us have not been so lucky as to have a solid support system when it comes to the topic of practicing a religion that is not mainstream. I've especially found this issue amongst Pagan converts who come from a strict Christian upbringing. Screaming, crying, threats of damnation and disownment are the usual reactions of friends and family when they find that someone they love is practicing an alternative religion. But there are ways to ease the upset that some people in your life may be experiencing. Remember, what they are feeling may simply be due to a lack of understanding of what it means to be Pagan. Here are some helpful points that may help those you love understand your beliefs:
I still believe in God… I just believe in Goddess now, too.
Some people find this idea to be the most difficult to grasp. One way of explaining the Lord and Lady to those who aren't familiar with paganism is by correlating them to another Lord and Lady that most in our culture are a bit more familiar with. And what divine pairing could that be? Why, Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary of course! One thing that many modern members of society do not realize is that the stories of revered religious figures repeat themselves over time. It's like the old saying "the names and faces were changed to protect the innocent." The story of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ is a very close replica of the stories of Isis and Osiris of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. There is a virgin birth by Mary/Isis. Then comes the resurrection of the god Jesus/Osiris. Paganism focuses more on the equal importance of both the masculine and feminine aspects of the divine.
The Ten Commandments are just like the Pagan Rede, I SWEAR!
Ok, well maybe there is just a tiny difference. But the objective of both is very much the same. For those who are not familiar with the Pagan Rede, it is a text that provides the moral code of the religion. Basically, the Ten Commandments specifically itemizes what is right and wrong in the eyes of God (i.e. "honor thy mother and father," and "thou shall not kill"). Whereas the Pagan Rede sums things up with the simple phrase, "Do what thou wilt, and harm ye none." Now, here is the difference, paganism adds the idea of the three-fold law. This means whatever you put out into the world will come back to you times three, be it good or bad. It's a pretty sweet deal if someone is living an honest and giving life.
Out of 78 tarot cards in the deck, there is only ONE that says The Devil.
To some, the idea of tarot cards seems to be the scariest part of paganism. If anything, it is most certainly the least understood aspect of the occult. Tarot, simply put, is a system set up for divination. In order to predict the future, there must be a representation of all the facets of life. The cards are pictorial descriptions of these aspects. And the card depicting "The Devil" refers to the idea of repression. Also, the modern day image of the devil is comparable to the horned god of fertility, Cernunnos. But don't be fooled, this god is not evil. To help societies conform to up and coming religions, it was a common practice for the former religious symbols to be demonized in order to promote the change. Therefore, the popular image of the horned god was transformed into a figure to represent the devil. Cernunnos was actually a god that represented the freedom and abundance offered to us through nature.
There are also several books available in Creative Medicine’s library that may help your loved ones understand more in depth about Pagan beliefs. Such titles as:
· When Someone You Love is Wiccan, by Carl McColman
· The Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft, by Miria Liguana & Nina Metzner
· Wicca for Beginners, by Phea Sabin
These can be helpful resources for family and friends that want a deeper understanding of what it actually means to be pagan.
Remember, the goal is to provide credible information so people can at the very least understand a point of view that is different from their own. It's not about changing anyone's mind, just an acceptance of differences. In the end, we are all striving for the same thing. It is human nature to strive towards the divine. The paths to spiritual fulfillment are different. Creator, who brings the message of light and love, at the end of our journey is one in the same.
