{"id":1622,"date":"2009-05-01T01:10:53","date_gmt":"2009-05-01T06:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=1628"},"modified":"2009-04-22T15:22:54","modified_gmt":"2009-04-22T20:22:54","slug":"role-of-a-mentor-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2009\/05\/01\/role-of-a-mentor-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of a Mentor"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Accidental Teacher <\/strong><\/p>\n

After I wrote the last column, dreaming of a day when I could teach someone as I have been taught, it occurred to me that I have already done that.\u00a0 I may not have conducted a class, lead a group or mentored someone, but I still have had teaching moments in which I helped another Pagan on their path or explained something about our ways to non Pagans.\u00a0 On many occasions I have been an accidental teacher.<\/p>\n

Soon after I started on this path, I noticed that some dictionaries included the word \u201cdevil\u201d or \u201cevil spirits\u201d in their definition of the word witch.\u00a0 I wrote to an organization called Pagan Educational Network when I found out they had embarked on a project to provide publishers of dictionaries and encyclopedias with accurate information on the meaning of the words \u201cwitch\u201d and \u201cPagan\u201d.\u00a0 Even though they wrote back that the project had ended, I joined the group because they were involved in addressing misinformation.\u00a0 This was the beginning of several years of me writing letters.<\/p>\n

My pet project was the depiction of witches in the media. I would watch the TV listing and pore through magazines and newspapers for anything about witches, real or fictional.\u00a0 At that time, witches were a popular theme in entertainment and we saw Sabrina and Charmed on TV and The Craft and Practical Magic at the movies.\u00a0 (1) If a depiction struck me as particularly good or bad, I would write a letter praising, critiquing, or correcting depending on the situation.\u00a0 The same reaction applied to news stories.\u00a0 I was particularly pleased with a TV segment from Toledo where a high priestess talked about a dispute with neighbors over a backyard fire pit then answered questions from callers and an article in the Toledo Blade about two Pagan groups in nearby Ottawa County.\u00a0 Someone from the Blade called to thank me for my comments and asked if I wanted my letter published as a letter to the editor.\u00a0 Hopefully letters such as this encouraged the media to report on and depict us fairly and accurately.\u00a0 Despite the growing acceptance of our ways, their were negative depictions.<\/p>\n

I would of course point out the error of those who claimed we worshipped Satan or performed blood sacrifices.\u00a0 I saw an article in a newspaper from Mississippi that matter of factly talked about African based Paganism, but next to it was an article that condemned Wicca as Satanic.\u00a0 Undoubtedly the worst news story was in a weekly newspaper in suburban Toledo that used one of those \u201csatanic cult experts\u201d who Kerr Cuhulain used to write about in his column Exposing The Lies on www.witchvox.com<\/a> as its source for information on Paganism.\u00a0 It depicted our faith as a haven for psychotic teens bent on violence and destroying society.\u00a0 I laughed at a quote from this supposed expert, \u201cOne minute they are rolling around on the ground naked, the next they are trying to kill someone,\u201d\u00a0 because a few weeks earlier on the spur of the moment during a late night Mabon ritual, I removed my clothes and lay skyclad on the dewy grass.\u00a0 Killing someone was the last thing on my mind as I experienced spiritual bliss.\u00a0 The letters I wrote to attack such lies at least let those responsible know we would not take it in silence.\u00a0 I wrote to Pagan Educational Network as well so they could include my efforts in their newsletter so hopefully I inspired other Pagans.<\/p>\n

I saw every letter I wrote as a learning experience both for the recipient and myself.\u00a0 Also, I could be a voice for change.\u00a0 Back in 1998, Camel cigarettes ran a magazine ad depicting three women around a table casting a revenge spell on the ex-boyfriend of one of them, with a poppet used as a pincushion and several books lying around, with the titles of two of them, both Pagan books, at least partially visible.\u00a0 (2) I wrote a letter of protest joining about 5000 other Pagans which resulted in letters of apology from the company and the ad being pulled after only two weeks.\u00a0 After a few years though, I became tired of letter writing and when I wrote to Nintendo complaining about a wicked witch in the game Banjo Kazooie, I knew I was taking this too seriously.\u00a0 Who among us does not delight in the over the top portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West by Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz?<\/p>\n

Not all my letters were concerning entertainment and news.\u00a0 Before I had internet access, I wanted to communicate with other Pagans in other places, so I did it the old fashioned way, exchanging handwritten letters with pen pals.\u00a0 I placed an ad in Circle Network News (now Circle Magazine) describing what areas interested me at the time.\u00a0 I received almost a dozen responses, replying to every one.\u00a0 Most never wrote me back, but I corresponded with three of them for a while.\u00a0 As with each Pagan friendship, it was both a matter of teaching and learning.<\/p>\n

There was a woman in Mississippi who went by the name Silver with whom I exchanged letters with ideas and stories of experiences for about a year.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember much of what we talked about but she told me that when she used internet access at the local library, she was told that Pagan websites were inappropriate.\u00a0 I encouraged her to find another way, and she was able to go to an Atheist friend\u2019s home to use his computer.\u00a0 The longest running pen pal was Deb from Virginia with whom I corresponded for about two years.\u00a0 Besides exchanging ideas, we also taped Pagan music for each other, introducing each other to new bands.\u00a0 Kurt was a Californian with whom I exchanged letters for about a year and a half.\u00a0 When I met him, he was in prison, so I heard firsthand the difficulties that Pagan prisoners face trying to hold ritual, celebrate sabbats, obtain books, tools and supplies and receive visits from high priests.\u00a0 A lot of people are wary of contact with prisoners, but my experience was rewarding and he was eager to learn and make a fresh start in life.\u00a0 Just to be safe, I used a PO box, but I did that with all my pen pals.\u00a0 The last time he wrote me, he was on parole in a halfway house and excited about the future.\u00a0 We had intelligent discussions and I want to share an excerpt from a letter I wrote him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour letter raised some interesting points and certainly has me thinking.\u00a0 One of the challenging things about being Pagan is that it requires one to think and examine personal beliefs in the light of reality and experience, rather than memorize the \u201cparty line\u201d.\u00a0 The points you touch upon remind me of those who ponder what relevance a \u201cfertility religion\u201d can have in a day when family planning is the norm.\u00a0 The problem lies in a literal definition of the concepts of harvest and fertility.\u00a0 As you explained, in the past, a sufficient harvest was essential to the survival of the tribe, as well as having children and both farm and hunted animals having young.\u00a0 No amount of technology will ever negate the fact that we still depend on the Earth for survival and what we do to the Earth eventually returns to us.\u00a0 In 1988, we saw crops wither and die in the fields when it didn\u2019t rain for about ten weeks and a few years ago, fields along Lake Erie and the nearby Sandusky River were flooded by sudden heavy rains.\u00a0 While it is true that nobody starved because of these events, as would have happened in the past, Mother Nature will always have the last word.\u00a0 It could even be argued that the marinas, resorts, condos, and Cedar Point amusement park in this area are dependant on a good annual \u201ccrop\u201d of tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have sadly forgotten what I discussed with Pagans I met via the mail or online, but I remember one well.\u00a0 Deb from Tennessee posted a message on a board saying that she had been told that a witch had to buy all their magickal tools before attempting ritual and spend a lot on them.\u00a0 She was asking if this was true.\u00a0 I posted a reply that this was not true as it was not necessary to have all tools up front and the price had nothing to do with their effectiveness.\u00a0 My chalice was a glass goblet I bought one Yuletide at a fast food restaurant for 99 cents, my wand a stick from my yard, and I had several items that I found or had been given to me.\u00a0 I summed it up by saying,\u00a0 \u201cYour tools are merely the means, props as it were; the magick is in you, not them.\u201d\u00a0 She thanked me for my help and we have remained in contact, although infrequently now, ever since.\u00a0 She returned the favor by offering my son and I advice when he informed me he was gay, as she is a lesbian.\u00a0 She also gave me a shoulder to cry on when my son passed away and when my first marriage fell apart.\u00a0 Pay attention in your day to day life and I bet that you too will find that you are an accidental teacher.<\/p>\n

Footnotes <\/strong><\/p>\n

(1) Rhymes With Rich http:\/\/www.ew.com\/ew\/article\/0,,285482,00.html <\/a><\/p>\n

(2) Pagan Passion http:\/\/www.metroactive.com\/papers\/metro\/09.03.98\/pagans-9835.html<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Accidental Teacher After I wrote the last column, dreaming of a day when I could teach someone as I have been taught, it occurred to me that I have already done that.\u00a0 I may not have conducted a class, lead a group or mentored someone, but I still have had teaching moments in which I helped another Pagan on their path or explained something about our ways to non Pagans.\u00a0 On many occasions I have been an accidental teacher. Soon after I started on this path, I noticed that some dictionaries included the word \u201cdevil\u201d or \u201cevil spirits\u201d in their definition of the word witch.\u00a0 I wrote to an organization called Pagan Educational Network when I found out they had embarked on a project to provide publishers of dictionaries and encyclopedias with accurate information on the meaning of the words \u201cwitch\u201d and \u201cPagan\u201d.\u00a0 Even though they wrote back that the project had ended, I joined the group because they were involved in addressing misinformation.\u00a0 This was the beginning of several years of me writing letters. My pet project was the depiction of witches in the media. I would watch the TV listing and pore through magazines and newspapers for anything about witches, real or fictional.\u00a0 At that time, witches were a popular theme in entertainment and we saw Sabrina and Charmed on TV and The Craft and Practical Magic at the movies.\u00a0 (1) If a depiction struck me as particularly good or bad, I would write a letter praising, critiquing, or correcting depending on the situation.\u00a0 The same reaction applied to news stories.\u00a0 I was particularly pleased with a TV segment from Toledo where a high priestess talked about a dispute with neighbors over a backyard fire pit then answered questions from callers and an article in the Toledo Blade about two Pagan groups in nearby Ottawa County.\u00a0 Someone from the Blade called to thank me for my comments and asked if I wanted my letter published as a letter to the editor.\u00a0 Hopefully letters such as this encouraged the media to report on and depict us fairly and accurately.\u00a0 Despite the growing acceptance of our ways, their were negative depictions. I would of course point out the error of those who claimed we worshipped Satan or performed blood sacrifices.\u00a0 I saw an article in a newspaper from Mississippi that matter of factly talked about African based Paganism, but next to it was an article that condemned Wicca as Satanic.\u00a0 Undoubtedly the worst news story was in a weekly newspaper in suburban Toledo that used one of those \u201csatanic cult experts\u201d who Kerr Cuhulain used to write about in his column Exposing The Lies on www.witchvox.com as its source for information on Paganism.\u00a0 It depicted our faith as a haven for psychotic teens bent on violence and destroying society.\u00a0 I laughed at a quote from this supposed expert, \u201cOne minute they are rolling around on the ground naked, the next they are trying to kill someone,\u201d\u00a0 because a few weeks earlier on the spur of the moment during a late night Mabon ritual, I removed my clothes and lay skyclad on the dewy grass.\u00a0 Killing someone was the last thing on my mind as I experienced spiritual bliss.\u00a0 The letters I wrote to attack such lies at least let those responsible know we would not take it in silence.\u00a0 I wrote to Pagan Educational Network as well so they could include my efforts in their newsletter so hopefully I inspired other Pagans. I saw every letter I wrote as a learning experience both for the recipient and myself.\u00a0 Also, I could be a voice for change.\u00a0 Back in 1998, Camel cigarettes ran a magazine ad depicting three women around a table casting a revenge spell on the ex-boyfriend of one of them, with a poppet used as a pincushion and several books lying around, with the titles of two of them, both Pagan books, at least partially visible.\u00a0 (2) I wrote a letter of protest joining about 5000 other Pagans which resulted in letters of apology from the company and the ad being pulled after only two weeks.\u00a0 After a few years though, I became tired of letter writing and when I wrote to Nintendo complaining about a wicked witch in the game Banjo Kazooie, I knew I was taking this too seriously.\u00a0 Who among us does not delight in the over the top portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West by Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz? Not all my letters were concerning entertainment and news.\u00a0 Before I had internet access, I wanted to communicate with other Pagans in other places, so I did it the old fashioned way, exchanging handwritten letters with pen pals.\u00a0 I placed an ad in Circle Network News (now Circle Magazine) describing what areas interested me at the time.\u00a0 I received almost a dozen responses, replying to every one.\u00a0 Most never wrote me back, but I corresponded with three of them for a while.\u00a0 As with each Pagan friendship, it was both a matter of teaching and learning. There was a woman in Mississippi who went by the name Silver with whom I exchanged letters with ideas and stories of experiences for about a year.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember much of what we talked about but she told me that when she used internet access at the local library, she was told that Pagan websites were inappropriate.\u00a0 I encouraged her to find another way, and she was able to go to an Atheist friend\u2019s home to use his computer.\u00a0 The longest running pen pal was Deb from Virginia with whom I corresponded for about two years.\u00a0 Besides exchanging ideas, we also taped Pagan music for each other, introducing each other to new bands.\u00a0 Kurt was a Californian with whom I exchanged letters for about a year and a half.\u00a0 When I met him, he was in prison, so I heard firsthand the difficulties that Pagan prisoners face trying to hold ritual, celebrate sabbats, obtain books, tools and supplies and receive visits from high priests.\u00a0 A lot of people are wary of contact with prisoners, but my experience was rewarding and he was eager to learn and make a fresh start in life.\u00a0 Just to be safe, I used a PO box, but I did that with all my pen pals.\u00a0 The last time he wrote me, he was on parole in a halfway house and excited about the future.\u00a0 We had intelligent discussions and I want to share an excerpt from a letter I wrote him. \u201cYour letter raised some interesting points and certainly has me thinking.\u00a0 One of the challenging things about being Pagan is that it requires one to think and examine personal beliefs in the light of reality and experience, rather than memorize the \u201cparty line\u201d.\u00a0 The points you touch upon remind me of those who ponder what relevance a \u201cfertility religion\u201d can have in a day when family planning is the norm.\u00a0 The problem lies in a literal definition of the concepts of harvest and fertility.\u00a0 As you explained, in the past, a sufficient harvest was essential to the survival of the tribe, as well as having children and both farm and hunted animals having young.\u00a0 No amount of technology will ever negate the fact that we still depend on the Earth for survival and what we do to the Earth eventually returns to us.\u00a0 In 1988, we saw crops wither and die in the fields when it didn\u2019t rain for about ten weeks and a few years ago, fields along Lake Erie and the nearby Sandusky River were flooded by sudden heavy rains.\u00a0 While it is true that nobody starved because of these events, as would have happened in the past, Mother Nature will always have the last word.\u00a0 It could even be argued that the marinas, resorts, condos, and Cedar Point amusement park in this area are dependant on a good annual \u201ccrop\u201d of tourists.\u201d I have sadly forgotten what I discussed with Pagans I met via the mail or online, but I remember one well.\u00a0 Deb from Tennessee posted a message on a board saying that she had been told that a witch had to buy all their magickal tools before attempting ritual and spend a lot on them.\u00a0 She was asking if this was true.\u00a0 I posted a reply that this was not true as it was not necessary to have all tools up front and the price had nothing to do with their effectiveness.\u00a0 My chalice was a glass goblet I bought one Yuletide at a fast food restaurant for 99 cents, my wand a stick from my yard, and I had several items that I found or had been given to me.\u00a0 I summed it up by saying,\u00a0 \u201cYour tools are merely the means, props as it were; the magick is in you, not them.\u201d\u00a0 She thanked me for my help and we have remained in contact, although infrequently now, ever since.\u00a0 She returned the favor by offering my son and I advice when he informed me he was gay, as she is a lesbian.\u00a0 She also gave me a shoulder to cry on when my son passed away and when my first marriage fell apart.\u00a0 Pay attention in your day to day life and I bet that you too will find that you are an accidental teacher. Footnotes (1) Rhymes With Rich http:\/\/www.ew.com\/ew\/article\/0,,285482,00.html (2) Pagan Passion http:\/\/www.metroactive.com\/papers\/metro\/09.03.98\/pagans-9835.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}