That's right, I'm a Pagan. I am unashamed of my faith. I love following my Deity. I follow Her in welcoming the cycles of nature. I welcome Her aide in looking deep within myself to find confidence and peace. I am the one responsible for my actions. I welcome every aspect of nature as the blessing it is and strive not to abuse it for my own selfish gain. We are all connected, and I strive to ensure my actions affect no one negatively. This symbol is not in any way connected to the 'devil' or 'satan' he doesn't even exist in our little world of Pagans. This symbol represents the unity of all life. According to Pythagoras, the five points each represent one of the five elements that make up man: fire, water, air, earth and psyche (or energy, fluid, breath, matter and mind; or liquid, gas, solid, plasma and aether.) The Pythagoreans - hailed even today for their mathematical genius - held the pentacle sacred to Hygeia, the Goddess of healing, whose very name (HGIEIA) was an anagram in Greek for the elements. The lines show how each element directly connects and works with the others, and all hold and support the spirit. This basic principle is at the core of most Pagan faith systems: All we do, everything we are, is directly affected and related to everything across the universe. The Butterfly Effect, in full force. Be Responsible, Be Tolerant, Love, Laugh & Live as if this is your last dance.
I will live my life to the fullest, heralding in the seasons, protecting those in my care. I will not harp on small selfishness. Mine, mine, mine, means I'm taking something from someone else, so I'll strive to move slowly, thinking of how I'll affect those sharing the world with me by my actions. I will walk the forests thanking the plants for their beauty, and making the oxygen we breathe. I'll thank the leaves for their sacrifice, sacrificing their beauty to fall and protect the trees roots (and feeding them nutrients) through the harshness of winter. I'll thank the crops for sacrificing their lives that we might not starve, and the animals that were slaughtered for my meal for their sacrifice as well. I'll be unashamed to cast a power circle in full view of anyone, and I'll welcome the elements in aiding my education. I am a Druid - I'll sing and write of the beauty of my faith that others might share in it and learn from those songs and stories. Let me be clear - It is directly against most Pagans faith systems to offer harm to anyone, even worms and trees, so sacrificing small animals is definitely a No-No. In fact, the 3-fold Law states that whatever energy you send out you'll have turn back on you times 3. So, if you send out negative energy then you have negative things happen to you times 3.
The current Christian bibles state, "Suffer Not a Witch To Live." And based on this statement, Christians have vilified and tortured my faith for hundreds of years. But, in the ancient bible - the ones older and pre-dating that holocaust of all Non-Christians, the Inquisition (both the Papal and the Spanish) - the bible stated "Do Not Cross a Witch's Palm With Silver." Meaning don't go to them for aid of your sick child, or whatever, it said nothing of torture or abuse, only don't use their services. Amazing how things change based on the opinions of those in charge. Those 500 years of wholesale slaughter of anyone who disagreed with the Catholic church still shapes our lives to this day. Heck, it was one of the main reasons for the discovery of America. So, please, let us not perpetuate hate. Let us teach our children tolerance. Let us embrace our differences for making the world into a beautifully diverse tapestry. There is not Right or Wrong, there is only heritage and tradition.
Brightest Blessings!!