Paganism & Peace

The following is something I wrote after having an interesting conversation with someone about witchcraft/Wicca. I would like to note that I am NOT NOT NOT speaking for everyone who follows a different path…and that there ARE some folx who worship the classical images of ‘Satan’…but many of us DON’T.

Why is it that people still believe in religion, but magic & Wicca is unreal? They are based on the same basic principles – the belief in something unseen, untouchable, undemonstratable that when supplicated & approached in the correct way provides the desired results. So, then where is the source of the disbelief and prejudice? Perhaps it lies in the fact that Wicca has always gotten the bad rap of being inherently evil, while religion was always inherently good. And perhaps there we have the problem. Not the belief itself, but rather the perceived methodology of incorporating those beliefs. The problem/issue at hand is not the fact that Wiccans supplicate some unknown ‘thing’, but the fact that it is assumed that ‘thing’ which they supplicate is ‘Satan’ rather than ‘God’. The body & blood they supposedly use in their rites is babies’ blood and flesh, rather than the bread and wine of Mass. The altar is supposedly flesh, rather than stone…and so forth.
So, the problem is not in the supplication, but in the perceived forms of the one who Wiccans supplicate. We could supplicate the Judeo-Christian father god, but he tends to be a bit stern, believes in consistent vengeance & is a little too macho for many Wiccans tastes. So we turn to other beings, other names whether they be male in the form of Ausar, Apollo or Shango. Or perhaps the names we use are female, in the form of Baast, Diana or Yemeya. They still reflect our belief in something much greater than ourselves, who may have created us, or who may themselves be the creations of something even greater.
We worship from our homes & in the fields and forested places where we can feel closer to what our God/desses represent to us. We create mixtures that heal, and perform chant and prayers and songs that bring us peace. We do our best to find the path that will bring us closer to a state of peace & spiritual harmony. And we try to do it all…while harming none.
So the next time you meet someone who is a Wiccan…or who practices witchcraft…or who is a Pagan (of any type) think about what they are trying to do for themselves & others before you dismiss us as superstitious fools. We, too are searching for peace…and although our paths may differ…in many ways…we are the same.