Say something in Pagan…
But Paganism is a religion, not a language.
Oh, well how do you worship?
Not all of us worship anything.
Well, then how is it a religion?
Because we say it is.
OK, then say something in Pagan.
Life is confusing, like being on a tilt a whirl long after you’ve been sick, lost all your pocket change and enjoyed as much of the ride as you ever wanted. It doesn’t matter, it just keeps going. Being Pagan adds to the confusion and yet, if you learn to lean back and enjoy the ride, let some children pick up your change and clean yourself up, you can weather the ups and downs of the tilt a whirl.
I always think it’s silly when someone calls another person Jewish, based on how they look, talk or who their family are. Being Jewish is a religion and in part a culture. But, it’s not something you’re born. You can be born Canadian, black, blue-eyed, and so on but you can not be born Jewish, Christian or Pagan. That is something you choose. Even if you grow up in a Jewish family you still make a choice to remain that way or change.
What’s my point? I’m not perfectly sure, but I know it’s out there, lurking somewhere among the talk of Xtians, funny hats, and traditional holidays. OK, I’ll admit it, WE make what we are. You aren’t Jewish because of your nose, you aren’t Christian because you have a family bible and you aren’t Pagan because you like nature. Although religions and culture go hand in hand and you can’t really separate them, they don’t force us into molds, we do that ourselves. Now and then we all need to stretch a bit, learn to speak Pagan, if that’s who we are.
Originally posted to ‘BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are’ newsletter, May, 23, 2003.