Oh, For The Love Of The Gods....STOP THAT!

Often, in my articles, you will see a type of a warning that lets you know if there will be something in the article itself, which you may very well find 'offending'. This time, I have no warning. Why? Because quite frankly, I hope this article does offend a few people! I hope it offends enough of you to make you start thinking for yourselves. I hope it offends enough of you so that you'll think before you speak, write or type anything. I hope it offends enough of you so that you'll realize that you are no better than any other person on the face of this planet....regardless of your belief system. To be quite honest, I'm fed to the teeth with the 'my god is bigger, better, badder and stronger than your god' rhetoric. I'm not alone. Not by a long shot. Ah...I see that last sentence got to you a bit, yes? Careful in your assumptions. I wasn't talking about people outside of the Pagan belief systems. I was talking about those of you who ARE members of the Pagan belief systems. Or, at least, you claim to be. 

      I'm sick and tired of reading line, after monotonous line, of people asking for help, advice, spells, incantations, love, light, healing, blessing and luck. This may very well be a scandalous thing to say but, even the Christian Bible does not state that their god only helps those who help themselves. In fact, there are two verses in that Bible that state the exact opposite!
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD."(Jer 17:5 (NIV)), and "He who trusts in himself is a fool..." (Prov 28:26 (NIV)). So, when I'm sitting at my desk, going through my groups, looking at all of these posts - I just about go into an involuntary mental melt down. I see absolutely ridiculous posts. Some of the more popular ones consist of requests such as: "My familiar just passed away, and I am so lost without him/her. Please, please send me some healing light and love, so that I know he/she is safely in Heaven"....and...."I'm searching for a new job! Is there a spell I can use to help me get the job of my dreams?"....and...."I'm having trouble with a (co-worker, family member, neighbor....name anyone...pick one....etc.). They are being mean to me because of my beliefs. I'm sure of it. Is there a spell I can cast on them to make them leave me alone, or at least be nicer to me?". SERIOUSLY?!?

 I absolutely refrain from responding to ANY of these completely self-centered requests. The answers to these questions are quite simple. What are they? A.) Every living thing on this planet dies at some point. This is one of those times. Get over it. B.)Get an education so that you'll be capable of getting the job of your dreams...unless, of course, that job of your dreams is working at the local grocery store, or fast food joint, OR, you simply haven't been aggressive enough in your job searching.  C.) Stop being a self-proclaiming prick, and perhaps people's attitudes towards you will change. If they're giving you crap about your beliefs...stop preaching at the top of your lungs and shut up about it...just like you want everyone else to do that doesn't believe the same thing you do. Many modern Pagans will bitch and complain about their Christian friends posting Christian-related items..but get horribly offended when they tell YOU to stop posting so many Pagan-related items. That's life. Deal with it. Another thing I am really sick of seeing is that people have decided to "come out of the broom closet". Really? That's like a Christian telling people that they've decided to come out "from behind the Cross closet". It's akin to a Jewish person suddenly deciding to openly celebrate  Hanukkah....at 50 years of age.....and they've been Jewish their entire lives. I mean come on people, get a freaking grip on this already. Paganism has been an established belief system for well over 3,500 years now, and suddenly there are millions of people on the planet that are acting as if they're in need of help deciding which job to take, which person in their lives is a pain in the ass, and oh by the gods above and below my 18 year old cat just died and I need help over-coming my grief. 

       Furthermore, I'm completely astonished at the high number of people who actually have the audacity to request such trivial things from elders and crones. That's like your average Christian, demanding an audience with the Pope, to pray for healing, because your Baked Alaska just collapsed in your oven. As with any belief system, the object to understanding it, is to actually get out there and practice it without someone holding your hand all the time. If you have an issue with mourning the loss of a pet, to the point that you are completely incapable of carrying out daily tasks (like....getting dressed, eating, sleeping....), that's not normal mourning...it's depression, and if it's that bad, you need professional help, not a damned candle. I've even seen people ask for 'healing light and blessings' because their child is not feeling well, and may have a cold, or the flu. I damn near fall off of my chair in disbelief. Really, I do. If you are not a doctor, practitioner, herbalist or homeopath, for the love of your kid(s), go see a doctor!! Yes, we're all aware that there are natural, and alternative, treatments/cures for many ailments that range from Cancer to  the common cold, and back again. However, if you don't have the first clue as to what it is that's making your child 'not feel too well'....stop being a moron and take that child to a doctor, so you can KNOW what is ailing the child. THEN, if you so choose to administer proper treatment, fine.

Here are a few other things that make my skin crawl like maggots on raw meat. 1)Pick one of these 3 cards, and I will tell you its meaning later on tonight. 2)Show me a photo of your palm and I'll read it for you. 3) Does anyone do Auric readings? If so, can you read my aura and tell me how I am? 4) This is for all you mediums out there - what number am I thinking of, and why is it important? YES, I have seen every single one of these. Yes, my desk now has several indentation marks from me having to slam my face against it just to stop myself from punching my computer screen. NO, I do not take any of these items even remotely seriously. Now, if someone was to ask about the correlation between electro-magnetic frequencies and the human energy fields? I'm all ears. If someone were to ask me about the human abilities to have cognitive recognition beyond that of the average person, whereas it pertains to the intentional use of the sub-conscious mind...I'll engage in that conversation for days. If someone is educated in the area of Palmistry, Reflexology or Anatomy, I'll be more than happy to listen to what you have to say. However, that is where I draw the line....and most other elders, and crones, will also stop at that point.

   So, if you want elders, and crones, to take you seriously, stop posting things that we expect to hear from the mouth of a 4 year old child. There is a tremendous amount of science behind the Pagan practice. There are centuries (literally) of research, trial and error behind our practice. Elders do not become such just because they were calling themselves Pagans for the past 10 years. Crones do not become such just because they are over the age of 60. It doesn't work that way. It never has, and it never will. So, the next time your sister's uncle's brother's cousin's dog dies (I'm sure, it was tragic) due to old age...don't go on line and ask for healing and light. Remember, it's the dog that died, not you. Elders and crones are going to read that and think: "Thank the gods that dog is no longer suffering, and will someone please give this poster some damned booze"? When one of our friends is having pain, we offer to help. We don't sit there and read Tarot cards, palms or tea leaves in hopes that something will miraculously pop up out of no where and give us ethereal guidance. What do we really think? Oh for the love of the gods.. STOP THAT!!!