darchildre: the seventh doctor explaining things to ace (seven explains the plot)
Renfield ([personal profile] darchildre) wrote2010-10-05 02:11 pm
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The thing about being openly heathen and occasionally talking about it at work is that my coworkers tend to think that makes me an Expert on All Things Pagan.

I just had a ten-minute conversation with one of them about Wicca and what holidays Wiccans celebrate and whether Wicca is considered "occult" which, what the hell does that even mean? Wiccans practice magic, sure, but I mean, so do I (in that I draw runes on things and galdr them sometimes when drawing is inappropriate) and I don't consider that occult. I consider that part of my religion. It's a form of prayer. I don't know how Wiccans think about it because, y'know, I am not a Wiccan and most of the reading I've done about Wicca was done back in high school (during that period of discovering that hey, I don't have to be Christian if that's not what I really believe).

I can talk intelligently about my religion. And occasionally Methodist Christianity. Anything else and I feel like it's really not my place to try to explain. I mean, no one expects Christians to be able to speak intelligently about Judaism or Islam, just because they all fall under the same umbrella of "Abrahamaic religions". (Of course, for that analogy to really work, my coworker would have had to have been aware that there were different religions under the umbrella of "pagan". And then, after explaining that, I had to explain what a reconstructivist religion was and gods, that is what the internet is for. Educate yourself!)

I kept trying to tell my coworker that we have books on Wicca, right over there in the 299's. But no, I am Pagan Spokes-girl. Eurgh.
tricksters_queen: Forests of Avalon by Orin, Puck from Disney's Gargoyles, and another dark haired elf sit near a waterfall. (blue fairy)

[personal profile] tricksters_queen 2010-10-05 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, agreed.

[personal profile] alphaviolet 2010-10-06 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure what people mean by "occult" exactly, either. It seems vague. Maybe someone in one of the pagan communities here would know.

[personal profile] amethystfirefly 2010-10-06 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
I would totally be like "Dude, we're in a library. DO YOUR RESEARCH, dagnabbit."
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[personal profile] silveradept 2010-10-06 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Blargh. (Also, lot of Wicca stuff might be in 133.4, due to common association with "witchcraft") I'm "resident tech guy", so I understand what you mean. So very irritating.