I have to warn ya… I look completely ordinary in daylight…
   I'm gonna grab the bull by the horns, the tiger in the tail, on this one…
   During the years we have received several messages "accusing" us of being Satanists. It has been partly a tiring, partly a funny experience. That Christians would make that claim was sort of expected. But initially we had no idea that harsh words also would come from other people calling themselves pagans and witches. We discovered in full that the world of Paganism had a small but vocal group of people just as ignorant and intolerant as those of their more well-known persecutors.
   Their questions and comments ranged from: Are you a Pagan? If so, why does your site look more like a Satanist-site than a pagan? Are you aware that you're giving Pagans a bad name? You shouldn't use the Pentacle, you know, it's a pagan symbol.
   Okay, here it is: We're not Satanists. I feel ridiculous doing this, because it's like people opening up a discussion about gay rights with: "I'm not gay, but…"
   Here it is, to the unenlightened out there:
   There are basically two types of Satanists. One that is worshipping what they and most people see as the flipside of Christianity. They're really Christians, emphasizing a different side of Christianity…
   The other direction is one who hasn't anything to do with Christianity at all. They "preach" independence and self-worth, freedom for each and every human being, and not worship of any god. We do respect that, even if we don't share all their beliefs or the sum of them. Satanism isn't really the big bad wolf in the world. Neither are the "darker" aspects of witchcraft. Censorship and persecution of they who think and act differently from the norm, however, are.
   Some pagans, particularly Wicca-Pagans, a religion as good as any, have this thing about avoiding "negativism" something I've never understood. They would perhaps tell you that they want to focus on the "positive", whatever that means. In my opinion ignoring major parts of the forces moving people and the world isn't very positive at all, but a heavy blindfold as good as any. The claim that "love" is the dominant force in Existence is, quite frankly bullshit.
   Life, in all its myriad of variances is that force, that raging river shaking up everything in the course of its run to the sea.
   And this concludes tonight's rant…

  

  

  

  

Book of Shadows