Pagan Musings From A Pagan Person

  When I was a kid, I was taught, “What goes around comes around.”  Basically, what you send out will return – like attracts like.  You can call it karma, the Law of Return, whatever you choose.  It’s a pretty basic principle in just about any religion or spirituality.  I always felt it went along with the idea of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.  It’s a fundamental tenet for even existing on this planet with all these different personalities and egos.   I was also taught as a youngster that you stand for what you believe and don’t turn a blind eye to injustice.  For a couple years in the late Seventies, my mom worked for a local organization that helped rescue battered women and their children, helping them with counseling and safe houses.  It was a harrowing experience sometimes.  Being a kid with a big mouth and an impulse to say whatever I was thinking, I would say things about beating those abusive guys up or wo...

  Change IS good.   There will inevitably come a time when it’s needed, and I don’t think we should run from that.   It’s a mistake to think that, once you find that “sweet spot” in your life, everything is going to stay the same forever – because it’s not.   People change.   Situations change.   We all change – we learn, we grow, and we move on. One of the worst things I’ve ever tried to do is maintain a group’s practice when it was evident that the group had outlived its purpose.   Often, the reason I did that was because someone else thought we should keep going.   My intuition would be telling me, “let it go – it’s time,” but for whatever reason, I let other people persuade me otherwise.   Probably because I’m a people-pleaser, which sucks, and I’m trying to break that habit. Anyway, I’ve recently been working on listening to my intuition more, and not relying on other people to tell me what’s going on – because, unfortunately, people...

  Does there come a point in our lives as Pagan Elders that we should remove ourselves from teaching and/or leading? I’ve been a part of the Pagan community for many years.  I’ve taught, led public groups and private covens, been a face and a voice (and a target), organized events, done all the things that are expected of someone who calls themselves “clergy.”  More than once, I’ve questioned whether or not I’ve worn out my welcome, as it were. I’ve tried to step down before.  I know there are plenty of smart, capable people in my local community, and I know my absence wouldn’t cause any problems.  I’m sure many would welcome my absence!  But with every attempt to return to a private life, someone asks me to come out again, to help organize an event, teach a class, speak to a group.  I appreciate that some folks out there want my input with projects.  However…. I’m tired.  I’ve spent most of my life as a public figure in the Pagan community, ...