Blog of an Obscure Pagan

((Caution: This blog will contain profanity. Do not read if you are easily offended by such things.))

Brightest Blessings everyone,

I apologize profusely for not having updated in a very long time. This semester of college has been especially busy for me and as such I have not had near as much time as I used to have to devote to blogging.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog today is to inform you all of another situation on YouTube. I'm not one to get reeled into video drama, to attack people, or anything of that nature. For the most part, I stay out of it because I see no benefit in becoming involved unless some greater ideal or our civil rights as pagans are being threatened. However, I can't stay silent on this issue. It has upset me far too much.

Recently, a YouTube user named MagickalHummingbird posted a video called "Be Aware." MH claims that she is a "Green Celtic Wiccan Witch," a strict Organic Vegan, and has studied in and under many different well-known pagan organizations, the majority (if not all) of which she mentions first and foremost in her video. I see nothing wrong with this whatsoever. Her religious choices, her lifestyle choices, and the groups she says she is a part of are all a part of what makes her who she is, and I have no reason to even be concerned with that.

However, what DOES concern me is the major claim being made in this video, which she has since made private as a result of the plethora of video responses made by angry fellow pagans who were offended by it. Her claim is that any pagan who associates with Satanists, Atheists, Agnostics, or Skeptics is harming the pagan community, and that paganism has nothing to do with skepticism. In addition, she claims that out in the "real world" people agree that we should not associate with them, and that the group of people on YouTube who do so are basically part of an isolated, misguided group. Allow me to be frank- this is complete and utter bullshit.

She claims that Satanists are not pagan, and that skepticism and LOGIC (yes, in one of her other videos she says this- go watch them to see what I mean) INHIBIT "mystical and magickal" growth and that one cannot move forward in these ways until they ABANDON LOGIC and skepticism. Ladies and gentlemen- this floors me beyond belief. Without logic and skepticism, one accepts all they hear as fact and does not QUESTION. Another way to describe this is "blind faith." Is this not what many of us were seeking to be RID of when we left Christianity? To be FREE to question, and to make our own logical, sound decisions in regards to WHERE we put our faith and WHY? It absolutely astounds me that there are pagans in the community who would tell us we need to abandon logic. If Miss Hummingbird wishes to abandon logic and reason, it is her very right to do so- she's already done it and showed it beyond question. However, to tell the rest of the pagan community to follow suit and hop on her weak and unsubstantiated bandwagon is quite frankly insulting.

In addition to that, she is attempting to divide our community. Our community, which is SMALL ENOUGH, she is trying to separate by pushing out Satanists and telling us not to associate with them, Atheists, Agnostics, etc. She is doing the same thing to the Satanic community that Christianity has done to the pagan community as a whole in the past. When the Christians were trying to convert the pagan country-dwellers of Europe, what did they do? They demonized their religion, called it evil, and touted their faith as the TRUTH. Why? To separate and elevate themselves to a higher seat of power. For we as pagans to throw Satanists under the bus is doing the exact same thing. Pagans are constantly judged for the MISCONCEPTIONS perpetuated about our faith. Satanists (many of whom are pagan) are as well! For Wiccans and Pagans to stop associating with Satanists, to assume that they are "evil" and not a part of the pagan community because they are "dark" is intolerant, ignorant, and elitist. Light CANNOT exist without dark. We live in a world of balancing forces, one cannot exist without the other.

Now, I get the feeling that I understand what is going on here. MH is most likely taking the approach that she doesn't want Wiccans confused with Satanists, so we should just throw them all under the bus to make OUR path look better. This is selfish and HARMFUL. I would think someone who claims to so vehemently respect all of "Gaia's creatures" would show the same respect to Satanists who have done nothing to harm her. And guess what else? No matter how far you would like to distance yourself from the Satanic community - Christians will STILL THINK WE WORSHIP SATAN. Why? ANY god who is not Yahweh/YHVH/Jehovah is the ADVERSARY according to the majority of Christians. It doesn't matter if you call your gods Pan, Cernunnos, Brighid, Jack Daniels -They are ALL manifestations of SATAN according to the Christian community at large. So, in short, such an effort would be completely useless, and just make the pagan community look like a bunch of bigoted assholes. There is nothing wrong with Satanism, just as there is nothing wrong with Wicca. It is the MISCONCEPTIONS perpetuated by other faiths ABOUT our paths that make people think they are evil. How do we fix that problem? Correct the misconceptions! If people choose to believe us, wonderful. If they don't, that's their perogative. But honestly, who gives a shit what they think about us as long as we are treated fairly under the eyes of the law? What happens between me and my gods is my business, whether or not the people around me agree with that is not my concern.

I apologize for being quite "blunt" about this topic, but I felt it was necessary. As I said before her video has been made private, but if you would like to visit her channel and hear about her views on Mysticism and Magick and how they cannot be achieved with logic, go watch some of her videos.


[ONE LAST NOTE! I have updated my website yet again. Changed the color scheme, got rid of "My Path" since I will never be able to write down EVERYTHING that influences my beliefs, and replaced it with the ObscurePagan.com Forums! There is also a LIVE chatroom in the forums that you can access through the "Chat" option on the top console with my logo in it. Please post on the forums, introduce yourself, and feel free to ask questions or add content. The only way to get the forums-a-hoppin' is for you to make your own contributions! :)]

)O( Blessed Be,

Laura

Hey folks.

So tonight, I did a solitary Imbolc ritual. As this Greater Sabbat recognizes the growing strength of the Sun, in my personal tradition I have blended it with the Kemetic mythos by using it as an opportunity to honor Aset (Isis) and Heru sa Aset (Horus). At this time of year, the Sun begins to grow in strength, preparing itself to return to the Earth and begin to overtake the darkness at the Spring Equinox. This is a good parallel to the time period where Aset protected Heru from his uncle Set, who wished to cause him harm so that he could not reclaim the throne and avenge his father's death. Aset nurtured her son, helping him to grow stronger each day to prepare for his coming duties.

The message I received from my Imbolc ritual tonight was quite clear: Now is the time for us all to embody the Mother and the Son. It's not a gender issue, it has nothing to do with that- it's all about the role you play in other's lives, and the role they play in yours.

From Aset, I have learned this lesson: Embody the mother in the lives of those you care about. Support them, love them, nurture them, and be their undying source of friendship and compassion, to help them achieve all they wish to accomplish in life. When the land is dark and desolate, be their light, their source of warmth and love. Be their hand to hold, to push them to succeed, to encourage them that they are capable of doing anything they wish to achieve. Be their unshakable foundation, their rock.

Heru has taught me this: Embody the Son/Sun in your own life. As the Sun grows in strength and vitality, soon to bring life to the land which has been dormant and sleeping all winter, may you also awaken your inspiration, drive, motivation, and determination. May you manifest within yourself the power to accomplish all that you wish to achieve in the coming year. And in addition, may your friends embody the mother for you, and help you to grow strong in your endeavors. The time for slumber is growing short, and the time for action is now. It is up to you to make your own happiness.


These are the messages I have received tonight, ones which I feel we can all benefit from hearing. Blessed Imbolc to all!

BB )O(

obscurevisions

I pose a question to you all:
Do the Gods change?

I'm going to give my perspective, but I'd love to hear yours as well. Go ahead and leave comments here on my blog, or you can visit my YouTube page, comment, or post a video response.

ALSO: I apologize for the loud whurring of my laptop, this thing is a beast. I should have used my headset! =P

BB )O(
obscurevisions

Intro Music: "Marco Polo" - Loreena McKennitt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQXoYJiIc4

Hey everyone.

If you've been on YouTube lately, you're probably well aware of the situation with Tannhaus and his suspension, as a result of a certain someone's efforts to take down the Pagans of the YouTube Community. I am hosting this video here, his inspiring Call to Arms, in the hopes it will reach more individuals who otherwise might not have seen it.

Updates on this situation can be found here.

http://blip.tv/play/gYMm5PEYjKMC

BB )O(

Good afternoon, and what a pleasant afternoon it is! :D

Today I wanted to briefly discuss different types of altar layouts, and what I use, since my structure is not exactly one of the conventional Wiccan methods.

In most pagan paths, the altar is the center for your spiritual practice. Upon it are all of your most commonly used tools of worship and magick, items to be offered to deity, and also items that symbolize certain concepts to you. They by no means need to be flashy, and cost you more than you can afford. Honestly, you could turn a cardboard box over and cover it with a small cloth to start with, if you have nothing else, or if you need to be "inconspicuous." You can leave an altar up permanently, or you can set it up and take it down whenever you intend to use it. It's up to you.

There are two popular altar layouts of which I am aware. The first is the feminine/masculine, Goddess/God duality layout. On the left hand side of the altar, you place all tools/objects that fall under the feminine aspect of Divinity. This includes the elements of water, and earth. On the right hand side of the altar, you place tools/objects that fall under the masculine aspect of divinity, fire and air. In the center, you place any items that are dedicated to both masculine and feminine, such as offerings, the pentacle, etc.

The second popular altar layout is the elemental layout, which divides the altar into quadrants dedicated to each element. Each quadrant contains items and tools that fall under that individual element, and oftentimes in the center is the realm of spirit, where you might place images of Deity or offerings. North belongs to earth, east to air, south to fire, and west to water.

The altar layout I use is not a conventional one, and quite honestly I don't know of anyone else who does this. I've always been a huge fan of the yin yang concept within Taoism, because it just makes sense to me. Nothing is pure; not everything is so clear cut. With the other altar layouts, I was running into issues with overlapping items. "ACK!! Where the hell am I supposed to put the abalone shell? It's for the Goddess, but I'm using it for smudging, and putting my smudge stick in it... smudge is fire and air... I don't have room in the center RAAAWR!!!" x3 I'm sure I'm not the only one who has fell into that before. Or, how about dealing with the fact that in the Kemetic pantheon, there are often SOLAR goddesses and LUNAR gods? Where on earth do you place them?! Thus, the yin yang layout was born. There is always a bit of yin in the yang, and a bit of yang in the yin. The symbol itself clearly displays this concept, and it is true of many items you may wish to place on your altar. The yin yang layout allows you to place items that are for both aspects (evenly so) in the center, or objects that lean MOSTLY to the yin on the left, or MOSTLY to the yang on the right. As such, Yinepu sits on the left side of my altar, and Bast on the right. Bast may be female, but she is solar, a protectress, an avenger, and embodies many yang characteristics. Yinepu may be male, but he is a lunar god, and deals often with the dead and many yin concepts.

So, I hope this gave you all a bit of insight into altar layouts, what's out there for you to choose from, and what I use. Most importantly, remember that your altar is your own spiritual space, so you should always place items where it feels proper to you. If it makes sense in your heart- go for it. If someone yells at you for not following "proper structure," remind them that paganism is non-dogmatic, and how you practice your religion is of no concern to anyone but yourself.

Brightest Blessings! )O(

Courtesy of Dictionary.com:

obscure [uh b-skyoor]
adjective, -scur⋅er, -scur⋅est, verb, -scured, -scur⋅ing, noun –adjective

6. of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction: an obscure French artist.


I am your average, run-of-the-mill pagan college student, living in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I am not a scholar, I have no degrees to speak of, and the area I am studying has nothing at all to do with my religion. I'm a geek, a code monkey, an Information Technology major. I am 20 years old, and I live with my Methodist Christian parents while I attend school.

There is nothing special about me; I am obscure. I am not well-known in the pagan community at large, and I never expect to be one of those iconic, legendary figures whose reputations precede them. I am merely a student of my pagan faith, always learning. This blog will serve to provide you all with a glimpse into my perspective on pagan religion, personal experiences, growth, frustrations, and everything under the sun. Occasionally, I will feature some of my more informative YouTube videos here as well.

This blog is my voice, and with it I will share a piece of my spirit with you.