Saturday, August 21, 2010

Things that are just on my mind.

I had thought about writing about fall gardens but my mind keeps coming back around to another issue so I think I will save that for later. When I get stuck on something, I tend to be a little obessive compulsive so perhaps if I share what I am thinking with you, it will help me to turn my thoughts somewhere else.

As I'm sure many of you know, Isaac Bonewits passed away recently. Right after his death, I listened to a lecture that he gave, probably his last, on a podcast by Brendan Myers. If you haven't listened to Standing Stone and Garden Gate, you really should. Anyway, Isaac was talking about magical ethics, the Law of Three, and that sort of thing. Toward the end of the lecture he made some statements about how many Pagans use these magical ethics as an excuse to not do anything to take care of the environment.

Now, I'm not going to debate magical ethics. I personally do not follow the Law of Three. If it works for someone else, then great. But for me, it just really doesn't fit. My concern is this, if we are going to call ourselves Pagan, then why are Pagans not at the forefront of environmental activisim? What are we doing?

If you are reading this blog, then I am going to assume that it is because you have an interest in living off the land, getting back to nature, and are probably aware of the many problems we are facing. For those of us who understand and realize the magnitiude of our problems, why are we not shouting it from the rooftops within our Pagan communities? Now, I'm as guilty as anyone else. I suffer the same problems as everyone else of worrying about how I'm going to pay all the bills, spending time with my family, trying to find some quiet time for myself, much less trying to work in a little activisim here and there.

We are only human and we all have fininacial and time constraints. We do what we can right? I recycle, use CFL light bulbs, and try to educate my children in how we should take care of the earth. But at some point I began to think, is that really enough? Am I really doing everything I can for the Mother? In my head I hear a resounding, No. But I rationalize why I cannot do more.

Lately, I have been giving some serious thought to what it means to be Pagan and why do I feel so strongly about environmental issues. If we say we are Pagan, then we are saying that we worship the Earth and everything that is in it. We hold everything around us as sacred. If we hold the world around us as sacred, then should we not treat it with reverence even when we are not in Circle? Shouldn't we be saying, "Hey! The world is my church! Don't trash it!" But I sit here and wonder, where are all the Pagans? Why are there not more Pagans working diligently to help create a world that will be tolerable for our children? 

Now, don't get me wrong. I know there are many Pagans out there who are doing everything they can to foster awareness and work in programs that are trying to make things better. But for the rest of us, for those who think it is someone else's problem. That someone else will fix it, here's what I have to say to you. You  have a responsibility to the Mother. She is not here to baby you and protect you. She provides for your needs yes, but it is our responisiblity to take care of Her. Without Her, we do not exist. So what is your excuse for not doing what you know is right? Are you afraid that the Law of Three is going to bite you in the butt for doing a spell to protect what needs to be protected? Stop using excuses! You have no right to call yourself a Pagan if you are not willing to be a warrior, a protector, a guardian for what you claim to hold dear. Our time is now and if you are not willing to help then get out of the way.

If the influence of the Pagan community was ever needed it is now. We are running out of time and the Mother is calling for those who are willing to fight for Her cause. Personally, I do not feel I am doing enough. I am trying to remedy that. I am not perfect nor do I claim to be. But I feel that I have been called. What my role will be I still do not know. What I do know is this, if I do not answer her call, if I do not do everything I can to create a better world for my children, how can I possibly go into the next life knowing that I failed to honor my promise to the Mother. To love Her, to worship Her, and most importantly, to take care of all that She is. So now the question is this, where does everyone else stand?

5 comments:

  1. very inspiring. Thank you for writing it. You know I've had my own personal viewpoints on the environmental pagan.. and sometimes I wonder how a pagan who believes that the earth is our mother can live in the cities away from nature and all it's creatures.

    On another note... how is the area around you with being open about being pagan? where I am it's best I keep a lid on my beliefs. The people up and down my road are all Christian and one in particular is a "super Christian". I keep quiet to not have my kids bothered in the local school. They already get made fun of for us not having a ton of money.

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  2. The Oklahoma City area actually isn't too bad. There is a nice sized Pagan community here and a couple of CUUPS chapters. There are some really nice shops around here too. The one we visit most often has been in business for several years now. Even though I won't hide it if someone asks, I haven't mentioned it to any of our neighbors. I get the feeling they are all pretty much Christian and I feel it's better to just keep some things to ourselves. I'm also used to not advertising it because of my work.

    We homeschool the kids so we don't have to worry about the school part. I do want to get them more involved with other homeschoolers in the area and that is probably something we won't really mention until we get to know people a little better.

    By the way, I gave your blog a plug on the show so people can check out what you guys are up to!

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  3. Thanks for the plug! I listened to your show yesterday and Silver was sitting there poking me constantly when we heard you talk about it.

    Glad you can home school, I don't have the patience for it and due to that with public school and tent life we get to be on everyone's radar. Lots-o-fun...

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  4. I really like your blog. I have been thinking about this same subject for awhile. We also homeschool and will be using the No Impact Man curriculum for our environmental studies this year., http://noimpactproject.org/educators-middle-high-school-environment-curriculum-html/ ,
    We are in NW AR. and have a lot of Pagan homeschoolers and UU's here. I also have a blog on homesteading and am slowly(very)learning about living in the country.http://angelg5159.wordpress.com/

    Blessed Be,

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  5. Homeschooling definitely takes a lot of patience. Sometimes we run a little short on that but we don't like the idea of the kids going to public school so here we go again!

    Thanks for the comments Penny! I enjoyed what I have gotten to read on your blog. If you don't mind, I'd love to share your blog on the show. I think I will also add a page on the Podbean site for blogs that I like or have shared on the show.

    Thanks for the link for No Impact Man too! I saw the documentary a while back but I didn't know he had created a curriculum. My oldest is in 4th grade this year but I may use some of it with the kids.

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