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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Pagan Proud

I have been very "pagan minded" lately. It has become more of a concentration of mine lately. I am still in the fruitless search for decent pagan music. I like Emerald Rose for who they are, but I can't like a million other bands with the same Celtic sound. Anything that could be good is dated (80s). I just want something of radio quality with a pagan tone. Not ritual music or Celtic. Not heavy metal either. Oh, and it has to be common enough to be at the library so I can listen for free. Tall order, huh? I have taken to researching bands on the radio already, with pagan members. Godsmack is a good example. I would have loved it when I was 16. but in my old age (nearly 26) I have moved away from heavy rock. I like the lyrics because it only alludes to pagan principles, not singing only of pagan issues and such. Do you know any more of these more popular bands?

Yesterday I saw a man, at the gym I work in, who had a pentacle tattoo. He was on his way out and I wanted to yell, "Nice tattoo! I am pagan too!" It just felt so wonderful to see "one of my kind" out in the open. Sheesh, it is not like I am a vampire or something, but you have to admit it can be difficult to spot a witch in normal situations, unless she wears her pentacle out in the open. The only other time I saw witches proud of who they are was in Salem, MA, where nearly everyone is Pagan. Although that town can be a bit of a circus, it does feel welcoming. Maybe this could be true of other groups, like gays and lesbians. Here is a personal story:

When I was in college I dated my first girl. I know, "Gasp, but you are married to a man!" Yes I am bisexual, it is pretty well known within my friends. But anyway, when I first decided to experience these yearnings I found myself easily falling into the rhythms of public affection and such. My girlfriend at the time was a little more aware, not that she minded, but she made me think about how others (straight people) may view us. I found a could care less, but now when I think about it I can imagine what a relief it may be to live somewhere more liberal like San Francisco. I was so excited to see one pagan man walk by me, he wasn't even cute. Hey, maybe his pentacle doesn't mean what I think it does. Maybe he got the tat when he was really drunk and it holds no meaning to him accept not to drink heavily again.

I am really feeling the pull of being openly Pagan. Not that I feel the urge to announce this form rafters or any such nonsense, but I have been searching for a perfect pentacle. I think I have found a design that I like, but I can't bring myself to buy something online. I am the estranged daughter of a jeweler, I have standards. I want something pure and unique. Sometimes I wish I was still in contact with my father, who was a master goldsmith, specializing in custom made jewelry. Although I probably wouldn't trust him enough to make me a Pagan necklace. Oh well. My birthday list is getting longer...




This one is my favorite so far.

How many of you wear a sign of paganism out in the open? Is it the same as wearing a cross? Why or why not?

6 comments:

Moonwolf said...

I am currently wearing a lovely Goddess necklace and have other 'pagan' pieces'. But, I tend to like things that are on the abstract side -- things that can be easily recognized for what they are to another pagan but tend to go unnoticed (or at least not commented on) by others. For that reason, I think it might be different from wearing a cross -- but I'm not sure.

Mommy Boots (formerly KarmaPearl) said...

I am not Pagan, however, I am also not Christian. And I live in the biiiig, shiny buckle of the Bible belt. How's that for fun? It's hard to be a non-Christian in an evangelical world. Now, I don't know if this is the kind of music you're looking for but one of my favorite bands who have sort of a Celtic sound (and sing in Gaelic) are the Rankin Family. They're from Canada, and they're spectacular.

I stopped by from SITS, and I'm going to be following your blog!

Not Everyones Mama said...

How's this, I'm not pagan, I'm actually Christian, but I love pagan things, music, jewelry, it's enough to send everyone around me into a tizzy. I say live and let live and let everyone be who they are. :) Good luck with finding the music.

EmberlynRayne said...

Greeating :)
I just stumbled across your blog from Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom. I too am in search of the "perfect" pentacle necklace. Currently I have two pagan rings that I wear daily... but other than that, I have nothing that openly shows my paganism :)
Bleassings
)O(

Jan Tetteroo said...

Some decent pagan bands can be found in Europe:

Omnia
Faun
Valravn

ary personal favorites

M Pennanti said...

I wear my pentacle openly everyday - or rather, it dangles on top of or underneath my shirt, because I fiddle all day long. It's medium-small, and my husband gave it to me.

For music - I've been doing a lot of searching around for that lately too. Right now I like:
Eluveitie
Leaves' Eyes
TenPenny Joke
Robin Brock
Dyonisis

And none of those sound like each other except the first two. If you havn't heard of one, maybe you'll like it!

Jamendo.com does free legal creative commons music downloads, TenPenny Joke uses them. I do a hella music searching on that site now. No library burn needed!