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Articles/Essays From Pagans
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November 22nd. 2009 ...
Rethinking Pagan Discrimination
Caveat Mentor, or Watch That First Step!
Ten Dumb Reasons To Join A Coven
Interview With Openly Pagan Elected Official, Jessica Orsini
Creating My Book of Shadows
Intolerance: A Curable Disease
Loving Spiritual Diversity
Good Vibrations
November 15th. 2009 ...
Recovering From a Bad Coven Experience
You Are Not A Tool
The Dangers of Virtual Reality and Magickal Life: A True Story
Diary of a High Priestess
When Religious Intolerance Destroys Friendship
Thinking With Your Heart
Beauty in Death
In that Moment: “Understanding Born From Sorrow”
Raining Down A Different Kind of Peace
November 8th. 2009 ...
Why Many of Us Will Never Be Christian (No Matter How Hard We Try)
Making Your Life Magical
Soul Connection: The Means to Finding Your Life Purpose
How I Met My Soul Mate. Twice
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust: Thoughts on Love and Loving
Love and the Use Of Magick
Spiritual Transformation
Follow the Yellowbrick Road: Sometimes Staying on the Path Takes a Miracle!
The Path: A Spiritual Chautauqua
November 1st. 2009 ...
My Magic Doesn't Work! (Because It Sometimes Doesn't)
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Paganism
The Breath and Faking It
Coming Out Of The "Broom Closet"
Profound Fruit Loops
Magick and Science
I Want To Live A While Longer
"Me Time"
October 25th. 2009 ...
Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone Touring East Coast USA for Samhain
Lemon Magic
My Black Kitty
Autumnland: Pagan Path and Paradise
The Modern Coven: Importance of Documentation
Crossroads Rite (Version 11)
Perceptions of Life
The Challenge of Acceptance
The Circle of Life
October 18th. 2009 ...
Honoring Our Elders, Leaders and Teachers
Space Clearing: A Fresh Look at a Classic Tradition
Group or Solitary: Which Is Best For You?
Which Witch is Which? The Importance of Scientific Terminology.
Soap Making 101
How I Maintain My Spiritual Practice in a War Zone
To Be or Not To Be – In Pagan Business
"Fusion" Magick
October 11th. 2009 ...
Italy, Clavicles and Witchcraft
The Fairies of Samhain
Horns of Gold, Horns of Red: The God as a Sacred Focus
The Veil as Seen Through the Eyes of a Witch
Owl Mythology, Folklore, and Magical Interpretation
A Celtic "Young Goodman Brown"
October 4th. 2009 ...
What Should I Put In My Book of Shadows?
How Do You Draw Your Pentagram?
Your Book Of Shadows
How I Became a Wiccan
Five-Point Witches’ Self-Healing Plan
The Responsiblity of Elders of Pagan Paths
My Curse
Thoughts on Death
Dinosaurs and Druidry
September 27th. 2009 ...
When I Was A Christian Wiccan
Shamanism: Seeing in the Dark
Dream Invasion: What It Is and How to Stop it
The Warrior Archetype and the Reemergence of the Goddess
Twittermancy and Open Sourcery
Past Life, Present Mission
The Burning Times: May We Never Forget
Ophiuchus, the 13th Constellation: A Call for Change
Changes: Facing Them and Making Them
September 20th. 2009 ...
How I Found My Craft Name (and Tips on Finding Yours!)
Life Without End: Death From A Pagan Perspective
Creating Your Reality
My Road To Wicca
Officiating At A Crossing Over Ceremony
NOTE: For a complete list of articles related to this chapter... Visit the Main Index FOR this section.
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Leaving Small Footprints, Walking the Talk
Author:
Posted: November 15th. 2002
Times Viewed: 3,214
I don't cease to be Pagan when I open my circle after a ritual. If I did I would be a part-time Pagan, because in my family we seldom have a formal ritual with all the bells and whistles.
Both my husband and I prefer to be Solitary, and given our schedules with children, work and other activities, the hour drive each way to local functions is usually more than we can manage.
In spite of the lack of official Circles in our lives, we are always Pagan. My first action when I wake each morning is a prayer to The Lady asking her to guide me through my day and to help me be the best me I can be today. My daughter's last words as she lies down to sleep are to the Goddess and God.
It is my belief that as a Pagan, it is my responsibility to be a caretaker of this planet. When all the fancy robes, cloaks, and shiny ritual tools are removed, the last candle extinguished and the last puff of incense just a memory, that is the time when my true Paganism begins.
Years ago there was a buzz phrase about being a "conscientious consumer". Basically it means to not use more than one actually needs. People in the United States are notoriously bad at following this ideal. People in many other industrialized nations aren't far behind.
It is my aim as a Pagan to not put too great a strain on this planet by my being here. My household consists of two adults, a child, two cats, two cars and a tiny house with a small yard. Our cars are small and conservative in their gas use. My husband's car is over ten years old, but with regular maintenance it still going strong. My car is a few years newer, but I got it after my over ten-year old car would no longer run reliably. I further reduce my use of gasoline by running a home business, making my commute a walk from the kitchen to the studio on the other side of the house.
We have central heating and cooling in our home. Since the house is so small, we only have one thermostat zone. We have installed one of those timed, programmable ones. We keep it set low in the winter and summer. It is set so that when we are out of the house the temperature is high enough in the winter to keeps pipes from freezing and low enough in the summer to keep the cats from cooking. Our AC doesn't go on for the summer season until after the temperature outside has been a consistent 90°F for three days. In the spring and fall when temperatures are above 50°F and below 90°F the system isn't even turned on. We have a maintenance account with the local heating and cooling company. At the beginning of summer and winter, they come out, clean the AC or furnace and make sure each system is running at its optimal performance. Not only does this keep our utility bills down, a more efficient system works with less energy in the long run.
An alternative way we are lowering our resource consumption is by changing our yard. Believe it or not, that friendly green lawn out in front of most homes is a major strain on Mother Earth. To upkeep a lawn you have to use water, gas, fertilizers and bug and weed poisons. Yard waste is one of the biggest uses of our landfills. The people with the really green lawns in the middle of summer use a lot of stuff to keep the lawn green. We are replacing own grassy parts of the property with native trees, bushes and ground cover that are drought and pest resistant. As an added bonus my husband has less lawn to complain about having to mow.
Another place that is hard on the Mother is household trash. I forgot exactly how much garbage an average American family sends to the landfills each year, but the amount is staggering. I do my best to make sure my family is way below the national average. I do this by buying in bulk, buying brands the use limited packaging and recycling everything I can.
Luckily for me the town where I live has a weekly pick up of recyclable goods and newspapers along with their trash removal. We also have a compost pile for yard waste and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Our plants are very happy for the extra nutrition plus my daughter loves seeing how many different types of worms she and my husband can identify when he turns the pile. It is my daughter's job to take the kitchen scraps to the compost pile while I am making dinner. She often has extended conversations with Goddess on her trips out to the pile. She has dubbed this action "feeding Mama her dinner."
When she asked my why we put out the scraps instead of throwing them in the trash, I explained it to her as giving food back to the Lord and Lady so they could make more food for us. I told her that it is our responsibility to take good care of Them so They can take good care of us.
There are many other little things that my family and I do. We give books to the local library, share food with area food banks and donate clothing or other things with the less fortunate. My husband even is a regular platelet donor for the Red Cross. I think he has donated so often over the years, he's gotten a special donator award!
I find it impossible to separate my Paganism from the way I live my life. I started living a conscientious life years before I found out that there was a philosophy and spiritualism that embraces the turning of the Seasons and the natural world. I didn't become one of Earth's caretakers because I am Pagan, I became Pagan because I am one of the Earth's caretakers. To me, this way of life is part of the personal responsibility constantly quoted as what it means to be Pagan.
Lyon
ABOUT...
Location: , USA
Bio: Lyon is an Eclectic Pagan living in eastern Missouri. She has been following a Pagan lifestyle since the mid 1980s. An accomplished artist, she is currently in the process of locating a publisher for her illustrated Pagan children's book An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child for young readers. Lyon also has several websites. One, handcraftedpagan.com is geared toward unique handmade gifts and fine art for the Pagan home. She lives with her husband, her 8 year-old daughter and two old cats of undetermined ancestry.
Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE
Email ... (No, I have NOT opted to receive Pagan Invites! Please do NOT send me anonymous invites to groups, sales and events.)
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