Pagan Blog Prompt: St. Patrick's Day

Ah, St. Patrick's Day - a day for pinching people not wearing green, drinking lots of green beer, eating corned beef with cabbage and potatoes....

But do you know why we even have this day? What's the story behind "saint" Patrick? How does it relate to us Pagans?

Explore this topic with a little research, then share your knowledge with the rest of us :) You might be surprised what you find.... 

 Growing up I didn't know the specifics of the day. Just that I needed to wear green to avoid the pinching that would occur. Growing up the green got less and less.  It went from shirts, to ribbons to buttons, to me saying "I have enough green in my eyes, leave me alone."  I do have some Irish blood in me, and I believe I used that as an excuse for not wearing green either.  Since I'm not much of a drinker, the whole getting smashed bit doesn't appeal to me.

I do know that St. Patrick was never actually given sainthood by the Pope, but we've been celebrating theday for so long I doubt its going to change.

I will say that I don't really celebrate this day any more.  Why?  Well, because of the whole snake-pagan thing.  Yes, there are no actual snakes in Ireland, not after the last ice age.  The druids had snake tattoos, thus running the snakes of the island was pretty much kicking the druids off the island.  It irked me so I just didn't bother with the day any more.  I do try and cook some Irish food to celebrate that part of my lineage, and with Grendal's family being very much the Irish family I can't help it any more.

One person some where said that on St. Patty's day they don't drink to the man's memory but more to his death, and the fact that those 'pesky snakes' have returned.

All in all, just another day. Happy celebrating to those who do so.

Pagan Blog Prompt: Balance Between God and Goddess

A lot of Pagan paths are Goddess-centered, sometimes seen as a rebuttal against the God-centered churches. But as Pagans, we also understand that balance in all areas of our life is important, and even necessary to our personal growth.

Today's topic is the balance between the God and Goddess in our own journey. Are you more attuned with the Lord or Lady? Do you follow a path that focuses on one more than the other? Or have you found a good balance between the 'two halves'?

I'm a stickler for balance and equality(I'm a Libra, go figure) so I honestly try to achieve a balance between Gods and Goddesses.  Because of this I've always felt a little irked by such a focus on the Goddess figure.  Growing up I was annoyed with mainstream religion because of the focus on a male figure.  Switching to Wicca and some Pagan beliefs it seemed to be the opposite.  They focus on the female figure and, oh yeah, there's a male figure too.

In the end I've kind of forged my own path, trying to get that balance I want.  Looking at the Canaanite beliefs it seems there is a balance there but there isn't enough information to see for sure.

As for attuning with them.....Oddly enough I feel more inclined towards the Gods rather than Goddesses, if I like it or not.  XD  I'm a bit of a tomboy in general and it seems to reflect in other aspects of my life.  I do fight against it in a sense so I guess you could say I'm working on it.  lol.

Pagan Blog Prompt: Family and the Holidays

The holidays can be stressful on most people, and I'm sure they can be even tougher when you hold beliefs that the rest of your family is not so fond of....

As you join with friends and family this Holiday season, how do you deal with differences in beliefs that may arise at gatherings? You might think "just don't bring it up", but what if someone else does?

My friends know what oath I follow and it isn't an issue with them.  Thankfully there hasn't been a problem with any of them, a few are fellow pagans and the others are open minded!

As for family.....My immediate family knows about my pagan beliefs but I don't think they know the extent of it.  I'm a private person when it comes to my faith and that is because I lost a friend once before and I don't want to push away my family.  To be honest, though, it is my extended family that I'm worried about.  My mother's side is in the Hawai'i area, so there is the fact that they have their own old deities but they are all Catholics of varying degree.  My father's side are some form of Christian belief(Methodist I think) and my grandparents are devout, but I'm not sure about my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Religion isn't really touched upon on our usual get togethers but with Christmas here there is mention of Jesus and all that the Bible says about that, but there is no discussion on someone's beliefs.  I will say that my facebook page says I am Pagan and anyone in my family can see that, but no one has said anything.

If the day comes and I'm approached about my beliefs my first response would be that it is my own concern and its something I am not comfortable talking about.  If they persist, well, I'll have to tell them that I'm Pagan.  What happens after that, questions and what not, depends on the person and what they believe.

Pagan Blog Prompts: Yule Plans

Yule is this coming Tuesday, 21 Dec. Have any plans yet? Ritual with friends/coven, or perhaps just a solitary night alone with your chosen deities?

I tend to practice alone, letting Grendal, my boyfriend, know when the holidays are coming up and what I would like to do.  Usually its a nice dinner for the family.  I don't voice the reason why the dinner is so nice but Grendal tells his parents and they're happy about it.  True, I am a little gun shy but Grendal's mother loves to know these things.

I have a bad track record of keeping up with the days since I had to do things in secrecy for so long.  This year I am making a nice ham dinner and going to light a few candles.  I don't know what else to do.  Tomorrow I may make some salt dough ornaments to hang on the tree as well.

Since this is my first time really celebrating Yule I'm still trying to work out what to do, especially on the deity front.  I will set out offerings but I do want to figure out a way to include Ba'al and Bast.  Ba'al is a fertility god and Bast was originally a defender of Ra, so her association with the sun could be very useful.  I'll probably update this once I've figured something out!

Happy Yule everyone!

Pagan Blog Prompts: Vegetarian?

 I wasn't able to do last week's prompt, but here I am for this week's!

How does being a Pagan affect your view on Vegetarians?

Does your love and respect for nature and living things lead you to stay away from meat? Or is it more based on the nature of the food processing that bolsters your distaste for meat?

If you are of the carnivorous branch of humans, does your Pagan view on life make you feel guilty at all? Does it affect the choices you make when you shop for meat in the store?

I am an omnivore when it come to eating.  My Pagan beliefs don't change my feeding habits in the slightest.  I do not feel guilty eating meat and I'm all for those who decide to be vegetarian or even vegan, it's just not for me.  I personally believe you can be pagan, worship nature, and still eat meat.  As weird as this sound it's like the Druid in Dungeons and Dragons(just hear me out!).  The Druid can use natural weapons but cannot wield anything made of metal.  Now I've gotten into discussions with my fellow D&Ders about this whole thing.  Metal is of the earth and is natural.  One of my friends suggested that it was the fact that they were forged rather than just carved like a bow or staff.  I can somewhat understand the logic in that but I still have my qualms.

For me it boils down to this: if I could go out and hunt or raise the meat myself and butcher them, I would!  Sadly I don't have the ability or facility to do so.  The meat is part of the natural world and I can take it into myself to keep living.  Why is it different with plants?  I believe that ALL things have spirits within them and that plants can feel.  In that sense, how is ripping a carrot out of the ground and chopping it up any different than hunting and butchering a deer?  Maybe its the lack of a face and sounds of pain.

Pagan Blog Prompts: Clothing Optional?

Obviously trying something interesting.  I stumbled on Pagan Blog Prompts and couldn't help myself.

How is your ritual clothing different from your daily wardrobe, if at all? Are you one to attend ritual skyclad (naked)? Why or why not?

Are there certain items you wear on a regular basis that are always present in your rituals (a necklace or ring, perhaps)? Does the energy of that item change for you?

I practice alone.  There was a time when I did have a small group and when we got together we wore certain clothes. Mine was a dress I bought at a Halloween shop.  While that is embarrassing to admit, it was all I could manage and it looked wonderful!  Nowadays, though, I don't have a specific outfit to wear for rituals.  In a way I am a little sad about it but most of the time what I do is spontaneous and I don't have the time to slip into that something special.

As for going skyclad.....I would never do so in a group and that is because I'd be nervous and way too self conscious.  I know there would be no need for any of that but its just one of those things.  I have done a few solo rituals skyclad, on a whim, and things ended up nicely, so to each their own and I may do it again!

There is a piece of jewelry that I always wear.  It's a coin/pendant that I bought at a renfair.  On one side there is a cat and on the other there is a dragon.  I used to wear another one which had a Celtic cross and pentacle done in Celtic knot work.  The time came, though, for that one to be retired and I have a new one.  This piece of jewelry has become a part of me and I think it does help when I wear it during ritual.  There is just something special about it.