So I thought for my first actual post, I’d tell you all a bit about how I got started on my pagan path and some of the takeaways from nearly three decades of practice.  So, thirty years, how damned old am I?  Ancient, I tell you… ancient…  By which I mean I’m in my mid-forties.  I started down this road in the mid 90’s thanks to a little occult bookshop located in the small Colorado town I grew up in.

So, there I was with the woman who would someday become my wife (yes, kids I’m one of those weirdos who married my high school sweetheart), absent mindedly petting the store’s Scottish Fold cat when my eyes wandered across a big blue book titled Buckland’s Complete Guide to Witchcraft.  I bought it, I read it cover to cover and I was hooked.  I was very fortunate that I didn’t need to hide my interest in the “alternative religions” from my parents.  My father was an Agnostic lapsed Catholic and my mother was a bit of a witch herself, though she didn’t use that label specifically.  For the most part they were very supportive as they wanted me to find my own way with regards to spirituality.

So, long story short, the next few decades were a diverse and wild ride.  I explored Wicca, Witchcraft, Buddhism, a bit of Ritual Magick, Druidry and even what I like to call Atheistic Paganism in my angrier days.  After dipping my toes into the myriad of springs, I finally decided that my calling was Druidry with a healthy dose of Soto Zen Buddhism for flavor. 

That’s all there is to it.  Nearly three decades of faffing about with various traditions which all started in a time before the internet was such a prolific beast.  Information was certainly a bit harder to attain back then, but I do miss the days when places like Barnes & Noble’s actually sold books as their primary business instead of coffee, but I digress.

So, what one might ask, are these takeaways I spoke about.  Well, I guess I’d better tell you since it is the title after all.  Without further ado, here are five things that I feel are important whether you’re just starting out, or you’re a ways down the road.

1 – No matter how much you’ve learned, there’s always more.

Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not nearly as knowledgeable as you might think.  That’s okay though because none of us are.  The thing about paganism is that, aside from some eastern and indigenous practices, it’s a huge mishmash of ancient traditions and newer esoteric practices.  Take Druidry for instance.  As much as I wish otherwise, the vast majority of what we know about the ancient Druids comes from some archeological evidence and treatises written by the very people responsible for wiping them out.  Druidry as we know it today is a modern construct that is inspired by the ancient order. 

Because of the ubiquitous nature of the majority of Pagan paths, it’s likely that, no matter how hard you try, there’s a bit of misinformation sprinkled into what you might think is fact.  Again, that’s okay because the answer to combating this is simple.  Keep an open mind, question things and, above all, do your research.

2 – Imparting knowledge is a good thing.  Gatekeeping is not.

Knowledge is great, and it’s even better if that knowledge is accurate and well researched.  Such knowledge should be shared and, sometimes, used to correct the misinformation that crops up now and again.  That said there is a fine line between imparting knowledge and Gatekeeping.

As stated above, paganism tends to be a mishmash of ancient and modern.  As a result some paths might use language or symbology that doesn’t fit with what you’ve learned.  A good example of this is the modern festival of Mabon (The Autumnal Equinox).  The truth is “Mabon” is the name of a Welsh solar deity and has little to nothing to do with the first day of Autumn.  Use of the word for the equinox came up in the 1970’s and was perpetuated by the author Aiden Kelly.

Good info to have?  Absolutely.  Should one pass that on?  Again, absolutely.  Should one crap all over Wiccans who actively use the word for the fall equinox?  Um… no.  Like it or not the word in now perpetually linked to the fall harvest in the neo-pagan lexicon and has been for half a century.  Telling someone they aren’t allowed to use it after this long is both obnoxious and pointless, and yes, it’s also gatekeeping.  If you find yourself in such a situation, just pass on the knowledge as best you can and as nicely as you can.  Make them think, don’t piss them off.  I’ve found that the former has a far greater potential for change.

3 – You will fuck up.

Yep, guaranteed.  You will, at many points, fuck up.  You will fail at spell work, you’ll flub rituals and you’ll most certainly get frustrated at times.  This is totally fine, in fact, I’d almost say it’s normal.  You’re going to fall and when you do, get up, dust yourself off, and move on.  Contrary to what some among the community might say, there’s actually very little you can screw up that can’t be rectified relatively easily. 

4 – Labels can be a double-edged sword.

When I started this path, we didn’t have thirty terms for one path.  Take witchcraft for instance.  We didn’t have Hearth Witch, Green Witch, Hedge Witch, Grey Witch.  This Witch, that Witch, your Witch, my Witch, Witchy Witch, Sand Witch… sorry, got carried away.  What we had was Witch or Eclectic Witch if you wanted to let folks know you were… well eclectic.  Labels have their uses, especially in today’s society.  However, if you’re not careful, they can also paint you into a corner.

I see more than a few who are new to paganism use certain labels and then refuse to, or even feel guilty for doing something not indicative of said self-imposed label.  You love herbs and plants and want to call yourself a “Green Witch” cool.  That doesn’t mean you have to stick to just herbs or herb magick.  If you find something outside the sphere of your specific label, then don’t ignore it or shun it.  Study it, and if it works, add it to your practice.  The beauty of modern pagan practice is that it’s ever evolving and tying yourself down because of a label will only limit your possibilities.  Besides there’s nothing wrong with being an Eclectic Green, Hearth Witch with Grey tendencies now and again.   

5 – In the end, be true to yourself.

Last, but not least.  Be who you want to be and practice how you want to practice.  People will always judge you and some may even try and call you out for doing it the “wrong way”.  This may be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but my philosophy is that if you’re well versed on the subject matter then you do YOU!

So there you have it.  Hopefully there was some insight there or at least a laugh or two.  Until next time.

                                                                                                                                           Jack