The practice of nature based religions has been documented for over 5,000 years. This is the earliest known form of religion, and it was a nature-based belief system. Somewhere along the way, people decided that anyone who was not of one particular faith or another, were to be automatically declared 'witches' and 'taken care of' immediately. Yet, how to define a 'witch'? Modern day understandings are far different than old-day understandings. Back in the Medieval era, a 'witch' was defined as any free-thinking person, especially a woman. In fact, if you were female, that alone was enough for you to be considered a witch. If you were an educated female, then you were most certainly a witch. If you were an educated female, with an extensive knowledge in healing, herbal remedies or any book other than the Bible..prepare to be brought to court, tortured and then killed (usually by burning at the stake, or drowning). In today's society, 99% of all women are educated (at least to some degree). 99% of women have read, and understood, more than just one book. Approximately 40% of all women have at least a good understanding about herbal remedies or natural treatments for common ailments (ex: Having a cup of peppermint tea to help treat an upset stomach).
So, how does one go about defining a modern day witch? How does one know how to tell who is a witch, and who is not? Well, there are indeed a few tell tail signs. For example, if a person is wearing a Christian cross necklace, chances are, that person is not a witch. If a man is wearing a yamaka (the Jewish cap), you can be pretty sure, he's not a witch. If someone is wearing a pentagram necklace, there's a good chance that they practice an alternative faith (not necessarily Wicca). If a person has an altar in their home, and it has crystals, a knife and some candles, they're likely not Christian, Jewish or Muslim. The truth is, people in today's society have about as much of a shot at 'picking out a witch in a crowd' as they do 'picking out the gay couple in a crowd'. Assumptions run nuts, but few are grounded with logic and education. One 'complaint' I've heard people say is "Why do people wear pentacle/pentagram jewelry if they're not witches"? Um...probably because they are drawn to that particular piece of jewelry, and happen to like it? I don't know really. Why does anyone wear any particular piece of anything? It's likely that they just really like those items and have chosen to wear them. It's a fashion choice, not some in-your-face religious statement. That's like saying that every man who wears anything pink is automatically a member of the LGBT community. This is the part where people tend to forget that many people wear things in remembrance of others who have passed away. A perfect example of this is the man who wears a pink tie, in remembrance of his mother, who died after losing a battle with Breast Cancer. I've known many people from many religions who have worn the pentagram in remembrance of people close to them who have died.
Not too long ago, a woman in town said that "We all know more about you than you'd like to think we do". That stuck with me. Not because of anything to do with me personally, but because of the implications that it held for everyone of any alternative belief system. It is something that I was, and still am, certain many people of alternative beliefs had heard at some point in their lives....and not with good intentions. For some reason, we have an easier time accepting violence into our communities than we do people of alternative belief systems (who are peaceful people). What I did not dare mention to this woman is that there are more of us in this area than anyone would dare to even believe. I am, however, one of the few that do not hide this. In fact, I am more than willing to educate anyone on the alternative belief systems, without bias or hesitation. What are they going to do? Burn me at the stake? Hang me from the gallows? Nope. They'll avoid me like the plague. They'll talk about me behind my back as if I have no clue what they are talking about (I'm deaf in one ear and as such, I read lips...so if you're going to talk about me make sure I can't see your face....because I'm deaf, not blind).
I am one elder who has no problem standing up to an entire crowd of people and telling them, without hesitation, that: Yes, I am Pagan. Yes, I am an elder. No, I do not care if you like that or not. It is my life. Your approval is not needed, nor do I want it. This is not the case with most people of the alternative faiths. Most people have to hide it, at least to a certain extent. Fear is the basis for this. Fear, of what? Bullying. Death. Being fired. Being disowned by family. Being tormented and publicly ridiculed. Fear of an all out witch hunt (i.e.: being physically run out of town). Every so often, we'll see a news story that will pop up, seemingly out of no where, telling us of the physical abuse, torture and even death of people who were suspected of practicing witch craft, or of simply being a witch. The truth of all this is that most people couldn't define what a witch is, unless someone slapped them upside the head with a copy of the Wicca Mantra. Even then, you'd actually have to read the pages in order to understand any of it. Assumption can be a very dangerous thing, especially in the cases of a person of alternative faith.
It pains me when I hear people talking about 'that woman' or 'that man', as if they've got dead bodies laying around their basements, or animal sacrifices in their attics. People of alternative faiths don't walk around town wearing ceremonial cloaks, or carrying ornate daggers on them. They usually don't have any extreme appearance to them. They just blend right into society. In fact, most people of alternative faiths go out of their way to blend into their social surroundings. They go out of their way to make sure that people see them as people, and not as some kind of labeled odd jar on a shelf with 'xXx' and a skull on it. It is only when they allow you to enter into their personal realm that you will even begin to understand that they might be of an alternative belief system. I know people that collect crystals, orbs, decorative knives, and have a trunk full of Halloween costumes. None of them are Pagan. None of them are Wiccan. None of them are even remotely Heathen. They just like to collect those items because they find them nice to have. It's really that simple.
There is one last thing I would like to remind people of. There are almost as many people of alternative faiths, as there are people of organized faiths. With a global population of over 7 billion people, we'd like to think that 'the big 3' religions (Christianity, Judaism and Muslim) have a really good hold on everyone, the truth is very different from what the media wants you to think. If you practice any form of an alternative faith, know that you are not alone, and there are literally millions of us out there that you can rely on for help, healing and solice. If you practice any form of an organized religion, know that you are not alone, and there are literally millions of people out there that you can rely on for help, healing and solice....and many of those millions of people you will rely on...are Pagan.
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