Damage Control for Intolerance

So, Harvard allows anti-witch rallies? Great. Well, here are some tips (if you happen to be a pagan, new ager, or open-minded human being) to combat ignorance from Courtney Weber (reposted with her permission):

Here are a few ideas you are free to ignore, but I encourage you to consider:

Don't point fingers, as in blaming the decent Christian guy next door who has always been nice to you for the crap pulled by these fuckers. Blame the action. Blame the mentality. Blame the individuals involved. Don't blame the religion and its affiliates.


Do be an out Pagan, if you are in a part of the country where it is safe to be one. Be a good neighbor, a good co-worker. Buy the Girlscout cookies and wear the Pentacle while you do it. Make a good impression on the person next to you, and maybe they'll take in of their own accord to educate their ignorant relatives at Thanksgiving about the Nice Pagan Lady at the office or on the block.

Don't be weird and secretive. Hiding your practices and acting shady when people ask you questions makes you think you have reason to hide what you do. Of course, keep personal matters of your group private, but be open to answering questions about your practices. Maybe they'll still think you're weird. But at least they won't think you drink blood of virgin kittens or some shit like that.

Do invite people of other faiths to your open gatherings. Help make them feel at home. Explain what's going on and do your best to show them a good time. There's a good chance they'll go back to their own communities or congregations and say, "Hey! Pagans are nice and throw a good party!"

Don't use social networking sites or blogs to announce your plans to curse the idiot who pissed you off in gym class. You sound like an idiot and you don't scare anyone. What you have succeeded in doing is in making the rest of us look bad.

Do use social networking and blogs to talk about your spiritual beliefs and your community building endeavors. Particularly if you are in an area where it isn't safe to be an open Pagan, this is a great way to help educate others in a safe format.

Don't alienate yourself either within your own Pagan community, or even just within your own self. Find friends and build bridges with other communities who share the same goals that you have.

Do be aware of religious persecution, but don't be paranoid. It ruins your own life. As my mom likes to say, "Don't give out free rent in your head."

Reload the Coffee; I'm Going to Blog!

It is a blog! Yes, only ten days have elapsed since my last blog! This shows Progress! I am maturing already! (until I abandon all hopes of posting in a consistent manner, like I usually do)

But FIRST! More coffee! Hrm. A line has formed in my local coffeehouse in the time it took me to write about maturity and consistency. I sense an evil pattern afoot, a plot to deprive me of my caffeine because I am already hyper enough from the first coffee of the day. Perhaps... I should get this coffee to-go. In the hopes of going home and doing some cleaning to take advantage of the overcaffeination. Is that a word? I guess it is now.

----the above was written at around 2pm today in the throes of caffeine-induced frenzy----

Tonight I cleaned out my ears with a cotton swab and ended up poking my right eardrum. The pain was terrifying, and I'm still shaken hours after the incident.

In other news... well, there's not much else to report. I'm in the midst of writing a review of the Tarot of the Boroughs deck for my tarot blog, which I will post there by the end of the month (in all probability).

tarot, nanowrimo, and other assorted side-projects

It's been awhile since I've posted. I think I might be slightly insane for making the pact to do National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) again. I also might be insane for creating an entirely separate blog to write posts about tarot (tarotspell.blogspot.com), however I figured it was the best solution to the problem of Geocities closing down on October 26th. Geocities was where my small little site about tarot resided.

I've been inspired by a few different blogs I've seen lately about tarot, and I wanted to share my own thoughts on the cards. Add to the discussion, if you will. I'm also going to a tarot workshop in December, and am psyched about it. Even the name, "Throw out the fucking book!" appeals to all my senses!

Anyway, that's it for me right now. I'm going to take a shower and try to head to bed. I'm behind on my word count for Nano already, so will have to make up for it tomorrow. Eek.