Archive for the ‘Pagan’ Category
A Visit
We had a visit from the Jehovah’s Witnesses this morning. I really don’t understand why they keep coming back. Every time they stop by, I try to shock them into putting us on their “stay away” list, but I think I may just be encouraging them.
I’m always polite to them because their demeanor is always so respectful. Maybe I should rethink my definition of respectful, though, since knocking uninvited upon a stranger’s door to tell them about your religion isn’t exactly respectful. Hmmm.
When they first started showing up a few years ago, I would tell them, “Thank you, but I’m Pagan.” Then I would smile and close the door in their faces. You have to close the door in their faces or be prepared to get into a debate with them. You see, they seem to be quite fascinated with Paganism. They know exactly what it is, and they’re always willing to talk to you about it. And not in a fire and brimstone sort of way. They honestly want to have an open discussion, not an argument. So, unless you have an hour or so to invite them in for coffee, it’s best to politely close the door. In their faces.
Since telling them I’m Pagan didn’t work, I started telling them I’m Pagan, happy with my choice of religion, and don’t care to convert. Thank you. And closing the door in their faces. That didn’t work, either.
The conversation this morning went something like this:
JW: Good morning. ::sincere smile:: We’d like to talk to you about the things going on in the world these days.
Me: Oh! Terrible, isn’t it? ::sincere smile:: Fortunately, I’m a Witch and I find great comfort in my chosen religion.
JW: Oh, really? ::peering curiously through the screen door:: Wel-
Me: Yes, really. I’m a Witch and have no desire to convert. Thanks for stopping by. ::closing the door in their faces::
I really do hope that’s the last time they show up, but I don’t believe this is it. A month from now, maybe two, they’ll be out there again, wanting to talk about what’s going on in the world, wanting to leave material for me to read. I must be on their “whomever manages to convert this one gets a heavenly gold star” list or something. They just keep coming back.
Project Spectrum | East
Today marks the turning of Project Spectrum from North to East. East is represented by the element of Air, the season of Spring, the material wood, and the color yellow.
Yellow is a really hard color to work with in a Web site design. It’s either pallid and babyish, or eye-numbingly bright. I hope I’ve been able to balance that a little, but please let me know if that yellow is blinding on your monitor.
I feel like this blog design is way over the top for me and, to be honest, it makes me a little uncomfortable. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because yellow just screams LOOK AT ME and I tend to feel more comfortable fading into the background. Yellow isn’t a color I normally wear, my mother’s efforts notwithstanding, and it isn’t a color I’m particularly fond of, for the most part. (The one exception would be with daffodils, which are my favorite flower. I love them yellow and bright and eschew the white ones in favor of the sunny faces of the yellow ones.) But Project Spectrum is about exploring your relationship with the various colors and elements, and about pushing boundaries to some degree, so I’m stepping outside my normal comfort zone with this bright and over the top blog design.
It’s fitting that today is the beginning of the next phase of Project Spectrum, for today is also Beltaine. (Though you wouldn’t know it looking out my window.) I have a love/hate relationship with Beltaine. To see the world bursting with life and color and promise makes my heart sing, but the associations with fertility make me cringe. It’s holidays like Beltaine that make me feel like a failure as a Pagan. It sounds silly to say something like that, but so much of Paganism is about fertility. I try to not take that so literally and make up for my lack of fecundity in body by nurturing my creative fertility, but it’s not always easy.
I haven’t decided yet what my focus, other than the blog design, will be for this phase of Project Spectrum. I’m considering finally starting on Flicca, because I have a mountain of yellow yarn waiting to be knitted into that sweater. There will certainly be photos, and tree bark is one of my favorite things to photograph, so I’m looking forward to that. We’ll see where this goes.
