Spirited (8 page)

• Most Pagans are pro-choice and liberal in attitude towards issues of government, sexuality, birth control, etc.

• Di
scrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, appearance, relig
ion, etc., is frowned upon by Pagans.

• Pagans generally seek to attune themselves with the natural
cycles of the environment by celebrating festivals based around pastoral and harvest rites and/or the solstices and equinoxes.

•
Sin is an alien concept in Pagan belief systems in terms of
original sin, the definition of sin, and the guilt based upon sin.
Salvation is not a widely recognised concept either.

•
Pagans do not seek to convert others or proselytise their faith.

Note that the above statements are generalised and do not necessarily apply to all Pagans. Always remember to link your statements to universal concepts or symbols; for example, when discussing divinity, you might like to make mention of the moon and the sun as embodiments of the feminine and masculine spirits of the universe.

The Wizard's Apprentice:
Teacher and Student Relations

Teachers are the universal archetype of wisdom, or in this case, government sanctioned slave labour (i.e., homework). Whatever your attitude towards teachers, they are an ever-present component of school, and we will all deal with
them at one stage or another.

Unlike the somewhat informal relationships and language you share with your peers, the relationship forged between teacher and student is more robotic. Personalities are strained and words controlled so as to keep the teachers placated. There are times when it is not just lack of attention or incompetence in class that is our downfall but our spirituality and how it is perceived by the teacher.

During my five years of high school, I encountered only fantastic and open-minded teachers who were all genuinely curious about my beliefs and treated me as an equal despite deep-set animosities or preconceptions concerning what I did. I feel I am very lucky in this regard, as I know several other young Pagans who have had trouble at school concerning their spiritual persuasions.

Most teachers found out that I am Pagan not by word of mouth but by my own personal decision to open up. Generally, if I felt the risk was not too high, I indirectly let them know; however, it rarely came to that point. While at school, I did many of my assignments on Paganism, and through this many teachers began to ask me about my beliefs. In response to these inquiring minds, I usually offered a variety of concise textual sources such as the Pagan Pride pamphlet on Pagan students at school. Ultimately, it allowed my teachers to develop an understanding of who I am. However, it is not a good idea to loudly proclaim to every teacher within earshot that you are Pagan and you have free information to hand out, because that
is
proselytising and is not attractive behaviour.

Generic prerequisites for becoming a teacher are having an open mind, a willingness to educate, and an ability to listen to and cater to students' needs. If you ever feel you are being discriminated against by a teacher, you have the right to inform an authority figure about it. There is discrimination in schools, and some of it does come from teachers and staff. Sometimes I felt that ignorance was being conveyed towards my beliefs, and it was a narrow-mindedness that has no place in schools. I do not wish to persecute anyone for not ever having heard about Paganism, I am simply admitting to feeling a little out of place because of it.

I once brought my Tarot cards to school to read for a friend. A teacher walked past and asked what I was doing. I told her and she walked off, seemingly unaffected. Eventually she returned and told me they were not appropriate for school and to put them away, which I did. However, I felt that my rights had been abused, as the same teacher had exclaimed that it was “cute” for students to bring Bibles to school and to read them during their breaks. Now what is the difference between reading Bibles during a break and reading Tarot cards? Both are channels for the divine to give advice, and both are valid spiritual tools. However, it is quite obvious the teacher in question thought there was a difference between the two and probably associated Tarot cards with something sinister.

The ignorance portrayed above is not based on an intended hatred of Paganism but on the basic ignorance of what it is and a fear of what it can mean.

In general, teachers will strive to be accepting. I have interacted with countless teachers who have treated me and my spirituality fairly and with no problems in doing so. Many of them are Christian; in fact, one was a retired Catholic priest! Understanding is not a one-way street—it involves both parties meeting halfway and encourages acceptance of each other.

The way you present yourself, the way you speak, and the depth of your sincerity are all factors that contribute to your overall persona as understood by teachers. Building bridges between the generations allows for new insights and advice from a source you may never have considered before. Intelligence is one of the most respected attributes in our society, and with it you may achieve what you want to as long as you have the willpower. Many would like to tell you that university degrees are the only assured way of securing your permanent access to opportunities awaiting you. I say go as far as you want with institutionalised education, and as long as you can apply what you know and have the patience and humility to continue learning, you will get where you want to.

Assignments

This word strikes fear in the hearts of students everywhere. However, homework also tends to drain us of time and energy, and it reminds us of the shackles restraining our freedom while we attend school.

The great thing about subjects such as English and history is that assignments are generally format only, in which we are given choices of what to enter into that format. Instead of writing an essay on the French Revolution, why not try the New Age Revolution? When the prospect of analysing a Shakespearean play is staring you right in the face, read up on
Macbeth
and compare the traditional Elizabethan views on Witches with real Witchcraft. Put a Pagan spin on your assignments, and you'll soon find that you are able to get good grades as well as further your knowledge of Paganism.

Below I have provided a list of assignments I did at school on the topics of Witchcraft and Paganism, to help inspire you and get your own creative juices flowing:

• An oral performance on stereotypical Witchcraft

• A mini-magazine on modern Witchcraft (articles included an examination of the Tarot's Major Arcana, teen Witchcraft, and Wicca and its origins)

• An argumentative essay debating the existence of Magick

• A comparison between two spiritual poems—
Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann and
The Witches' Creed
by Doreen Valiente

• A Shakespearean-styled performance implementing Pagan lore and custom

• A persuasive speech on the validity of Paganism as a modern spirituality

• A portrait of a Mother Goddess

• An essay on the New Age revolution

• A website about Wicca

• An artistic appraisal of Francisco José de
Goya's “The Sabbat”

• Creating, marketing, and selling “spell boxes”

• Film treatment and storyboard with Pagan theme

• Oral commentary on Witches in the media

• “Chapter One” writing task—Pagan fiction

• Community feature article on local Paganism

• A series of paintings based on the myth of Persephone

Regulation Jewellery

Most schools have regulations restricting the wearing of excessive jewellery on the body. At the school I attended, the regulation was female-specific and listed what could be worn. A signed parental note was necessary for the wearing of religious jewellery for both males and females. Though not all teachers actively enforced these rules, there were occasions when students were asked to remove non-regulation jewellery or have it confiscated. On several occasions, I was asked to remove my spiritual jewellery. To ensure you are never bothered about the wearing of Pagan-related imagery, simply follow the standard procedures set down by your school, i.e., retrieve a permission note from your parents, and keep it on you.

There is no discrimination here, simply an unawareness of the implications and meanings of Pagan-related spiritual symbols. While I was hanging out at the front of the school with my friends, my maths teacher noticed my bind-rune pendant and politely asked me to remove it. I simply replied that it was of religious significance. I knew what would come next and told her that it was a Pagan symbol. A sceptical look came over her face, and she quipped, “That's a bit old, isn't it?” Luckily enough, an older student who was fairly respected during her time at school stepped in and explained to my teacher that Paganism was alive and well in the modern world, and after a few short moments she seemed to accept the fact.

I am well aware, however, that there are many cases in which a student may be asked to remove jewellery because it is seen as dangerous, inappropriate, or satanic. This is where it is essential that you step in and inform your teacher that your jewellery is of spiritual relevance to you and that its stereotypical associations are outdated myths. It is important that you also apply the educational techniques you learnt earlier in this chapter when confronting teachers about your right to wear Pagan jewellery. Be kind, patient, and assertive, and respect for your rights should follow.

There are many Pagans who share differing opinions on the matter of jewellery and enforcing the right to be able to wear it. Some say it isn't worth fighting for, and if asked to remove jewellery at school, then you should comply. It is really up to you. You may even feel that wearing Pagan jewellery is more of a fashion statement or attention-seeking method than anything else, and you are entitled to believe so. In cases such as these, it is important to remember Paganism is not rigid and does not require you to believe certain things—or wear them, for that matter.

Wearing spiritual jewellery is an act of devotion and connection to one's traditions. Currently I am wearing the triskele, as it is a symbol of my Celtic ancestors and my gods. It also allows me to feel a part of the Pagan community. The adrenaline rush you get when another Pagan recognises your symbol and approaches you is truly magickal.

Responsibility comes with wearing Pagan jewellery. Whether we ignore it or not, there are certain individuals who wear the pentagram to induce shock and to frighten others. People like that are best left to their own insecure psychological worlds. Wearing overbearingly large pentagrams is not recommended either, as chances are you will be seen to be trivialising Paganism. This doesn't mean you have to hide your jewellery under your shirt, it just means that you need to take into account the fact that society is inclined to categorise and brand people into specific groups or classes, and Pagans are no exception.

Spiritual symbolism is a beautiful thing, and when treated with respect and understood as potent expression, Magick is afoot and the gods are at work.

[contents]

Paganism is not a label you throw on when you want to feel spiritual or advocate that you are even the slightest bit mysterious, rebellious, or different. Pagans are human beings who embrace the immanence of divinity in the world and, above all, acknowledge and live the principle of sacred equality.
A Pagan is a philosopher, an active participant in life, and a priest/ess of the earth.

Paganism is my life, and I say this in complete honesty. My perception of life, my view of the world, and my very breath is the essence of my spirituality. All things in my life revolve around who I am and how my spirit communicates with the universe. However, this concept is not to be confused with fundamentalism or obsession.
Pagan
is simply the closest word in the English language that defines who I am. It is the foundation of my identity and the primal rhythm of my soul.

Identity and labels are deeply associated with one's social life and how an individual chooses to experience it. Pagans do have social lives; we are not chained to eternal hermitage simply for seeking out
wisdom
. There is much to learn from social interaction and the workings of society's institutions of behaviour and speech. When you make your pilgrimage to the shopping centre to hang out or loiter, you bring with you your true personage and your mask—the persona you slip on to confuse and deter unwanted parties or to overshadow the person you are afraid to reveal. Remember that you should never be forced to compromise yourself in order to please others who do not take the time to understand what makes you
you
. This is your life, your time, and your place to experience, grow, and learn. Seize the day and be the person you can truly be proud of.

Out & About:
The Downtown Pagan

If you saw me downtown, would you know that I am Pagan? Pagans are such a varied bunch that any attempt at categorising us all into a singular demographic is futile. Pagans do not all wear the same clothes or like the same music. We are not all gay or straight; we are both! We don't all have the same coloured skin; we are rich, and we are poor. So how can you tell whether someone is Pagan or not? In all honesty, you can't. You might have an intuitive inkling, but based on surface appearances and social and economic background, there is no foolproof way of narrowing down the field.

When you go downtown and out in public, do you put on a mask to keep your true self protected, or do you do it because you are ashamed of who you are? We all spend some time preparing and dressing up before we walk out the door. It's all about how you look and how you act when the general public can view you. But what you are doing, perhaps inadvertently so, is falling into the trap of the social sheep—the conformist who lacks self-confidence and fears persecution.

Every one of us makes up the diversity of society, and we should contribute our unique energy in order to keep things fresh. Just because we're Pagan doesn't mean that we are overtly different; difference is about uniqueness, and we are all unique when we embrace ourselves, the totality of who we are. Rather than hide behind a mask that drains and discolours your inner self, why not laugh it off and show the world what you are truly made of? Don't be tempted to hide and merge in with the crowd; put yourself out there and honour the divine gift of individuality.

In social situations, in places where there are throngs of people constantly weaving in and out of each other, there arises a dilemma. As Pagans, we consciously open ourselves up to life's essence and therefore are left vulnerable to the various levels of that energy travelling about the place all of the time. Humans send out a particular vibration of energy unique to the individual. It can be daunting to feel someone else's vibes so acutely that you end up feeling exactly as they feel. For that reason, this chapter seeks to help you keep yourself to yourself and to enable you to walk through a crowd without feeling walled in and intimidated. There are also various people and situations you may encounter along your way, all of whom will arouse different emotions within you, and there are several spells and rituals provided here that aim to cater to such circumstances. Ultimately, we are all human and do need to venture out in public in order to make purchases and see friends. There's no reason we can't work with Magick to help make sure that experience is a good one!

Shielding

Shielding
is the term used to describe the act of working with energy to construct a psychic barrier or shield against impersonal energies. However, rather than the generic medieval version of the shield, the Witch's shield is all-encompassing.

Shielding is a magickal technique that many Pagans perform daily to ensure that they do not contract any “psychic diseases” or fall prey to psychic vampirism, both unintentional and purposeful. The shield can be envisioned as a sphere of white light, a wall of fire, or a network of cobwebs. It is sometimes recommended to use mirrors or brick walls; however, I do not recommend any solid material imagery, as energy follows a blueprint that is modelled through visualisation. If you visualise something that is essentially brittle and vulnerable to constant wear and tear, then the type of shield you will invoke will reflect those qualities and will only
negatively
affect you.

Shielding is a wise precaution to take when you put yourself into the midst of a crowd. Without shielding, I usually feel drained and irritable whenever I go out because of the barrage of interfering energies and the accidental vampirism that goes on in any public situation.

Each of us has a story of our own, and each story produces its own unique energy or emotional condition. Depressed people may feed from the bubbly and vivacious happiness that is exuded by the lucky ones. Dominant alpha types are on constant surveillance for the weak and vulnerable. The pervasive unawareness of the psychic ramifications of personalised emotional and mental patterns is phenomenal in a society that rejects the effects our astral being has on reality. This is unfortunate, as we could become far more appreciative and considerate if we took the time to respect each other's space and sought only to strengthen the positive, empowering ties and not to take advantage of the draining, negative ones.

Shielding is a practice that takes little time comprehending and utilising. Of course, it is recommended that you take your time to study the various methods of psychic protection and make an educated decision on how you personally will approach the subject. You might like to take on subtle and more elegant shields; pentagram seals, elemental guards, and white-light spheres are among the best. The primary function of any shield should not be to deflect the negative energy (that would just aggravate the sender and increase the possibility of psychic ricochet) but to ground and neutralise it. For more information on shielding, see the appendix.

Below you will find a meditative exercise that can be performed as often as you want to ensure that any negative intent sent your way will find itself firmly lodged in the cooling soil of Mother Earth.

The Vineyard Exercise

Do this in a cast circle. Place a bowl of organic grapes in front of you while meditating.

First Part: Gathering Energy

Sit upright in a comfortable position. Visualise to the right of you a blue or white two-dimensional circle of light shining on the floor. It is coming from below the floor. The floor looks like it has caved in, but the light is sitting comfortably, like a flower, on the floor. It fills you with peace, and in a deosil pattern three other circles of light progressively appear in front, to your left, and behind you. Feel the warmth surrounding you, and then see each circle of light grow into beams of pure and raw energy, stretching infinitely upward and deep into the earth. They begin to move deosil, bathing you in their light. As each light falls across you, a cool breeze breaks over your skin, revitalising you. When you feel at peace and full of energy, the beams of light will stop and shrink back into the earth.

Second Part: The Inner Journey

Imagine that your skin is breaking away and that it crumbles to dust. Feel the sensation of disappearing as your skeleton breaks away and the residual dust evaporates. You are now left as pure energy, free from any physical attachment. Then the floor shifts beneath you, and you are suddenly surrounded by sunlight as you stand on a hill overlooking a vineyard. As you look out into the ocean of green and brown, you catch sight of a pavilion in the centre of the rows of vines and you fly, run, or instantly appear there.

When you reach the pavilion, slow down and walk through one of its arched entries. The pavilion's foundation is circular in shape and furnished of brick. As you look around, you see four arched entries facing the four directions. Vines are draped gracefully over the wooden framework. As you look up, you see the wooden rafters stretch higher to form an apex in the centre. This too is covered in vines.

In the centre of the pavilion is a beautiful yet simple fountain. The vessel in which the water falls is circular and made of smooth marble. You walk over to the fountain and sit down on the edge. You look into the water and see your physical reflection, though you are still composed completely of energy. It is a calm day, and the gentle light dances playfully around you. Despite all your worries and anxieties, you feel at peace in this place, forgetting the very reason you have come to the vineyard. Let this peace fill you with a sense of safety and security. The vines that provide you with their shade smell of a dew-ridden forest under the rays of the dawn sun. The beauty of this place cannot be destroyed, and negative thoughts and energies sent at you are caught by the hanging vines and directed into the ground to be neutralised.

Third Part: Returning

Stay for however long you wish, and bask in the peace of mind the pavilion instills in you.

When the time comes to leave, turn your attention to the water in the fountain and jump into the fountain's heart. Open your eyes and take your time to readjust.

To ground, simply sit eating the grapes while retaining your peaceful state. Open the circle and clean up.

Whenever you feel under threat, return to the pavilion and reside within its sanctuary until you feel recharged and ready to deal with the world again.

Enchant the Masses!
Spells of Glamour

Unseen … Unnoticed … Gone!

I'm sure at some point you have wished that you could be invisible—that you could just disappear into the air. The magickal methods inducing periodic invisibility are working realities that are in reach of anyone who has a refined sense of visualisation. All it takes is a couple minutes of intense inner sensation and you will be able to go unnoticed. However, you can't simply stand in the midst of your circle of friends, chatting away, and expect that no one will notice that you are there. Also, if someone close to you is focused on finding you, there is the chance that their clean-cut intent will break through the glamour shield.

This spell is designed to get you out of trouble quickly downtown. If you have caught the attention of someone whose only aim in life is to bully and belittle, then this quick fix will get you out of the sticky situation.

Considering the location and situation, you will most probably have to steal yourself at least five minutes in a store or toilet cubicle so that you can go through the visualisation and then make a clean getaway.

Close your eyes and ground and centre. See yourself in the centre of a brilliant sphere of white light. It laps around you gently, exhilarating your skin and empowering your auric fields. Concentrate on feeling safe, secure, and at peace within yourself. Sustain this visualisation until you feel like an inflated balloon about to burst. At this point, see your physical body disperse into the light and evaporate into nothingness. Allow yourself to feel the sensation of disappearing, and integrate this into your visualisation. Methodically go through each layer of your physical being—outer layer of skin, bones and muscles, blood, and finally molecules and atoms. Then see the white light gradually fade into the air, taking the last of you with it. Focus on your invisibility and silently mouth the following to seal the spell:

No human eye shall see my flesh

Or heated blinding hate transgress

And so I'm safe within my skin

My white-light shield comes from within!

Now head back out into the crowds of people, and keep your mind focused on your state of invisibility. You will now be able to slip by unnoticed and safely escape the attention of your offender.