GiveAway Begins!

Hey everyone! The Giveaway for the TwoLoveBirds account is LIVE! What does this mean?

1. This giveaway is not affiliated with anyone like Facebook, Instagram, or WordPress in anyway.
2. This giveaway will last until the 23 of July (so a little more than a week), when I will do the draw of the three winners from a hat.
3. There will be three winners drawn in total across all platforms.
4. The second and third prizes will be revealed during the week, but the first prize is the children’s pagan activity book that I made!
5. To enter the Giveaway, you must follow me on some sort of social media, and comment on the giveaway announcement post by tagging three people. So if you are on Facebook, you must tag three people on my Facebook post that announces the giveaway. If you are on WordPress, same thing, but on this post.
6. I wish you all the best of luck! If you want to see more giveaways from me in the future -> Participate!

So here I am, alive again. Not that I died. Rather, a part of me was gutted and taken away -metaphorically speaking.

Starlight, my pagan project, crumbled dramatically. Now, for all who were enthusiastic about it, read on to follow the thrilling end! For those who don’t care, skip this part.

Because what happened was that I asked for advice regarding Starlight on the last equinox. I received a dream that left me screaming myself awake, wherein I realized that those who I was leading the group  with were not in fact, following me. As I grappled with what that meant I had to do, I decided that it meant I had to do my own projects and follow my own path, and not those of others. So, I decided, I was going to do what I’d always wanted, and I was going to fully host all the events at my home. After all, that was part of the reason I moved where I did.

Well, the moment I made that decision I spoke to the other member who usually hosted. I told them of my dream, of my decision. They decided on the spot to not only quit from hosting, but to quit the group entirely, dismayed that I wasn’t catering to their needs as a stay at home single parent of two young children. Why, they had already said that it was easiest for them to host! They would have to get a babysitter otherwise?! How could I ask that of them?! (Keep in mind this member drives three hours away every weekend for an aromatherapy class and had no problem getting a babysitter for that, but for the holy days? Impossible!)

Well, so that was one member of my triad of administrators. When the other two found out (through me telling them) that I had made a decision off of a dream and, though I was willing to discuss it but was unlikely to be swayed, they threw basically a tantrum. They decided that I was a cult leader, that I wanted nothing but minions, and were dismayed I was making such an important decision based off of only a dream. They all quit.

So yes, that was the dramatic ending of my group. Two years of work, of trying to get people organized. But you know what? I’m glad it’s over. Because it was a ton of work and effort, and I was the only one who seemed to want to do anything but just get together and party (and occasionally get high). I felt like the only one who wanted to build a project, to gather ideas, and to help others out. Everyone else loved my ideas, loved participating and raising energy. But something was lacking in the organizational sense. And obviously, for them to have turned on me so quickly, something else was lacking. For all their love of me, they abandoned me the moment I made what they thought was a mistake. They scolded me, but instead of forgiving or trying to fix things (I have never run an organization before and openly admitted that the way I’d made my decision was maybe a blunder), they called me a cult leader and abandoned me.

Well, a microcosm is not a macrocosm, but I feel this says a lot about paganism. We want all the fun goodies, none of the responsibilities, and to do no work/structural work. We just want fun.

I feel like abandoning paganism as a social group, but my apprentice doesn’t want me to. They are adamant that I keep teaching, but I don’t feel like it. For what aim? What goal? What’s the point, when we can’t basically organize ourselves and get stuff done? And do I even want to be mixed in with people who treat me so badly? Because seriously, my local pagans seem to be a really unpleasant bunch.

 

Why is Paganism full of Shitbags?

Here’s a rant. For all you solitaires out there, be prepared to be smug. All you coven people, prepare for a healthy bashing. And I say healthy because it’s like popping a pimple. Squeezing out the puss, you know. Hopefully this rant will bring to light certain things that are quite the fucking problem in our community and that we need to address ASAP and not just sit on our asses about.

Here’s my point: our community is full of shitbags. And I’m not exaggerating. Time and time again I approach ‘respected’ community leaders who act like absolute asshats to me. In my small span of a year, all the ‘mainstream’ pagan leaders are rude, obnoxious, and downright unwilling to address sexual predation and abuse within the community.

The saving grace is the polytheists. They seem to have their shit together and be more or less respectable. Surprisingly, they are the ones who are the most willing to build, organize, and get stuff done. The rest however? I will give an example.

I messaged a certain school on facebook messenger, hoping to perhaps form an alliance and at the very least have some aid towards the legalities of my project.

Well, no shit, they answered with the wrong name (I am not ‘Justin’, and neither is my facebook name, so how the hell they got that wrong is besides me. Or is it an American thing that they think we’re all named after Justin Trudeau now? It’s fucking dumb, and rude.) and not only that, but they basically said ‘just send your students to us’. Wow, a round of applause for being incompetent AND impolite all in one. And that’s an accredited school.

What the hell people? What gives? I knew we were a disorganized bunch, but there’s a difference between being basically disorganized and being disorganized due to bad leadership, poor social hygiene, and sexual predation.

Solitaires, y’all are NOT missing out. No fucking wonder covens are shriveling up and dying. Seeing the way most of us are acting, it honestly makes me want to throw my hat into the water and give up.

The saving grace is that, really, my local pagans, my ‘tribe’, are awesome people. So I’m doing it for them. Because the rest of you leaders are (majorly) not worth shit. And the ones that are good? Lead from the shadows, it would seem. They’re just not mainstream and not in the facebook groups. The best pagans are hiding, building stuff in their own corners and just not dealing with the giant shitstorm that is mainstream paganism. Can’t blame them.

I read a quote from the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy a few years ago that basically said that, inevitably, those who rise to power and attempt to get into power are usually those who are the least suitable for it. It rings especially true in the pagan community right now. All our mainstream ‘popular’ leaders are seemingly Full of Shit. I wish I wasn’t exaggerating.

Rant over. I’ll probably do another post on how to deal with shitty leaders and how to avoid them, but for now, Michael out.

A Pagan Framework for Healing/Coping with Mental Illness ~ How to Help Out a Friend (Part One)

We’ve almost all been there. For me, I’ve been there multiple times.

We see someone we love, someone we care so dearly about, and they are not well. They’re not right in the head. They’re down spiralling. They’re isolating themselves. And you just don’t know what to do!

It’s immensely frustrating for those on the sidelines to watch someone fall ill, especially if you have no experience with the illness in particular. It can be so hard to not say ‘just pull it together, you’ve got this!’, even if you know that’s not the thing to say. Because you just want to help, to see them get better.

In a sense, I’m lucky that I have some experience with mental illness.  It makes me understand those who I’ve watched and am watching suffer. It gives me a framework, a reference point from which to understand what they’ve gone and are going through.

But say you’re a pagan, and they’re a pagan. That complicates things, yet gives you a unique vantage point to work with them on their illness. So here I’ve put together a list of five points as to how you can care for and support someone with/through a mental illness. I will work on making more posts, aiming for a total of twenty pointers/tips in all. Please let me know if these are useful for you, if you’ve tried them out, how they’ve worked, and if you’ve got ideas to add to the list. I love discussion, so feel free to comment.

• Ask them their beliefs on mental illness in relation to their spirituality. Do they believe they are being punished by bad karma? DO they think this is a trial from the gods they must suffer through? Or do they believe it’s bad brain chemistry from past trauma, or just a bad genetic lottery? It’s not really terribly important for you to know the exact specifics of  what kind of theology they have going on, but more to know how they perceive their illness as a whole. This is important because their perception of it will determine their response to it. If they feel like it’s fated and there’s nothing they can do, they’re less likely to try and get better. If they perceive it as a challenge, maybe they’ll be more willing to surmount it. I’m not saying any belief is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, just that it has repercussions on how a person approaches their illness -> and that’s important for you to know.
  • This type of conversation is also important because it opens the channels of communication. If a person feels bogged down by their illness and doesn’t know who to turn to, taking an active interest in asking specific questions can show your willingness to help.
  • Asking specific questions like this one in relation to paganism helps not only open the channels of communication, it also gives the person a chance to sound off on you/use you as a bouncing board for their thoughts. Maybe they won’t have a specific ideology, and that’s ok. Maybe they’re confused. But if they haven’t thought about it already, it’s a good thing for them to figure out.
  • So how do you ‘do’ this? Don’t pop this question while standing in the doorway on your way out to work or leave. Sit them down in a quiet space with a cup of their favourite drink. Engage in some pagan chit-chat, just a little of ‘pagan’ talk to get them in their ‘pagan’ frame of mind. You can also ask them gently how they are doing, and then segway from there.
    • example: ‘Hey, I’ve been checking out rocks lately, specifically amethyst. It vibes with me so well… how have you been anyways? Feeling good enough to spend time with your rocks? … Really? Hey, by the way, I’ve been wondering how you feel your [mental illness] in relation to your path.’
  • If they have a variety of mental illness diagnosis, pick the least stressful/least serious one to ask about. If they are comfortable, you can build from there to ask about the more serious conditions. So for example if your friend has anxiety and bi-polar, breach the topic by asking about the anxiety, just to try and keep them calmer.
  • Specific questions that you can ask to try and keep the conversation going is their mental illness/symptoms in relation to: their godphone, their magic, their ritual practices, their relationship with the gods, their relationship with nature, past lives, future in the afterworld, etc.
  • If you are not particularly spiritually close, you may get vague answers. And that’s okay. It’s good to just have these conversations.
• Take them for a nature walk. Pagans love nature, even revere it. Nature is soothing, calming on the mind, and being out of doors is recommended by doctors (I think, just flying off of memory here). Now, here’s the important point. Don’t just drag them out the door for a walk through the city. Take them to an isolated space where there will be few people.
  • Example: you drive to their place, pick them up in their parking lot as close to the door as possible. You then drive together (listening to soothing music and no road rage) to a mountain or a little-used park. You walk a little (not too far, the point is not exercise but mental rest) and sit a little.
  • What to do during the walk? Point out flowers, herbs, and trees. Talk about tree lore. Talk about the moment. How pretty this and that is. Don’t wildcraft and plan for future projects, as that can be overwhelming and lead to failure. Space out silence and conversation together so that it’s not entirely either one.
• Bring them a hot meal. This cannot be overrated. Meals are necessary, and cooking is a chore. Good food requires money and energy. If someone you know is in a hard patch, bring them food because they might not be able to prepare it for themselves.
  • But what do you make them? Pick something they like, but also something nutritious and ‘grounding’. Root vegetables mixes with veggies.
  • Bonus points if the food is magically cooked and has herbs and properties in it you can talk to them about.
  • Let them know you are bringing it and coming over. Don’t just drop by unannounced. Give them a chance to prep and ‘put a face on’ to be able to present themselves nicely/socially acceptably towards you.
  • Inviting them to eat at your place can be fun -> If and only if they’re up to leaving their home/safe space. Don’t force them to leave. Offer to bring it to them and don’t force your company on them either.
  • This should go without saying, but respect their food choices. If they’re on a ultra vegan raw diet binge, respect it and work with what they’re willing to eat.
  • Example: Hey, I feel/felt like cooking today, so I made you/will make  a XXX, can I drop it off later?
• Offer to accompany them on a grocery run, or to do their groceries for them. I don’t mean you paying for it for them, but rather you doing the legwork. Grocery stores can be immensely overwhelming for people with anxiety and sensory overload. Having to compare prices can be just the tip of the iceberg, nevermind all the jostling and baby crying. So offer to do it for them. This can be a huge relief for them. Call/text ahead to give them time to prepare a list and see if they want to go out or if they will just hand you a list.
  • Example: Hey, I’m going out for groceries later, need anything? Want to come along?
• Walk on their left side in public spaces. This is silly, but practical. It’s where service dogs walk for a reason, which is that all people passing (at least in North America) will pass on the left side, as we walk on the right. By being on their left, you create a barrier between the person and the passing strangers. You can use this shielding method in a variety of ways, not just always sticking to their left. Just stand between them and the largest source of motion, noise, or people.

Infrastructure Matters and Esoteric Shops Don’t

Now I don’t mean to offend any esoteric shop owners, but those shops are practically useless. Did I upset someone? Well I don’t care. I am starting to really despise esoteric shops. To me, they feel like the bane of all existence, and the fact that they are the ‘center’ of pagan communities is a perfect symbol of all that is wrong with paganism.

Hear me out here. What, in an esoteric shop, do we as pagans really need? Yeah, yeah, it’s fun once in a while to buy yourself a cauldron and a new whoop-de-doo-dad. Whoopee. But then what? You go there once in a while to * buy stuff *,  chat with the store owner, and you leave. If you’re lucky, there’s classes offered and you *buy them * and then go home.

Whooo. How interactive. You *buy* and that’s it.

Now I don’t want to split hairs here but I’m poor. Most pagans think they are poor. So why the absolute fuck do we buy so much stuff? How come we, the ‘poor pagans who are so down to earth’, have let our religion be commercialized like this? Why is a SHOP the emblem of our society?

Yeah, yeah, there’s hidden covens that operate in living rooms. But they’re exactly that -> hidden, and only available to a few.

Y’all, all we have is shops right now. Shops that are super fucking expensive too. Shops that don’t reflect us, really. Because if they did, there would be seeds and gardening tools in them, as well as cooking implements. But nooooo, they’ve only got expensive white sage for you to buy. Does that really reflect us? Does it? It’s like saying a candy shop represents a person’s needs.

You know, as a poor, sick, person, all those fancy crystals and doo-dads are out of reach for me. All I can do is go into the shop and say ‘ooo, pretty’, and walk back out. Because it’s a SHOP. Because it’s only there for people to *buy stuff* when what we need is support and social networking. Why haven’t I seen seed swaps happening in these esoteric shops? Why not skill shares? Gardening classes? Children’s summer activities? No?

I lived in a town with over 5 esoteric shops in it. SHOPS. And no infrastructure. None. Zippo. No casual get-togethers. No actual support systems in it. It showed. No one knew anyone, and the community was insanely fragmented. Everyone thought they were the *only * pagan around. But hey, the shops made business.

A shop is a business. Infrastructure is networks, is support. Infrastructure is what we need, not shops. We’re a religious group, and we shouldn’t let commercial endeavors be our center. Isn’t there more to us than that?

SHouldn’t the ‘an harm ye none’ Wiccans be the biggest peace activists around? Shouldn’t the Asatru be having parenting classes on how to do it within a heathen perspective? Shouldn’t we have, at the bare minimum, seed swaps? People, come on. Please, let there be more to us than just a shop. Get out. Grow. Don’t just buy.

 

Pagan Infrastrucure ~What We Could Have

What do we want? I think this is a very fundamental question for most people, nevermind for those who are leading religious movements and trying to build up networks. ‘What do we want’ is how we build the future, the little bit we can influence beyond our gods’ will.

I like to think that dreaming up the future is basically laying the groundwork for it to happen. We have to first dream it before we can build towards it.

And so, I’ve been thinking of what I would like to see in pagan infrastructure in my dream community. I’ve even posted about it in my community group for my local pagans, and… something very shocking happened. There * gasp * was only one answer.

And this got me thinking… Is anyone out there even dreaming up infrastructures? Is anyone out there really, honestly, trying to build up more than a shop for local pagans?

Because fucking forgive me, but we’re the only community I know of that centers around a store.

You wouldn’t tell a newborn mom to go to the baby store to get help.

You won’t tell a disabled person to go the the handicapped section of a hardware store to get life tips.

For Fucks Sake, peoples. Get away from the stupid stores. We’ve got more to do than sell each other shit.

And you know what else I feel? I feel people think that the only option they have is to have group practice. Beyond that, they don’t even know what options there are to have!

So for those of you, here’s what we could have. And it’s not another stupid esoteric store, and you know what? Some of it won’t cost you a hundred dollar for a three hour course. No, you see, it’s community projects? Sometimes/mainly free? Yeah, get a load of this.

• Spiritually focused mental health support groups – Of course, it’s me. We’re going to talk about mental health somewhere. But you know what? If we were to sit everyone down and have talks about our mental health, we would become more compassionate and people would have SOMEWHERE TO GO when shit goes down in their head.
• Food networks. I’ve seen these for people in particular regions where they share whatever they have in surplus/what they don’t like. Pagans can grow stuff to intentionally share, or just share what they can afford to, like these secular networks do. These networks are great to prevent food wasteage, as well as giving another place for people to turn to for help when they fall through the governmental cracks.
• Seed Swap groups. Because seeds are expensive and they expire.
• Skill share networks. Need someone to fix your tires? Need incense? Come on folks, this stuff shouldn’t cost as much as it does. Help each other out.
• Exercise groups. Healthy body anyone? What would a pagan-themed exercise even look like? Nature walks? Yoga while acknowledging cultural appropriation? Weights together? Those who move together… grow together?
• Collective Kitchens. Cooking is boring. Cooking together is surprisingly easy, energy efficient, and much more motivating. Bonus for kitchen witchery too!
• Mentorship programs. You know how wee little baby witches are always looking for people to mentor them? Well, let’s create local mentorships! Just like big brother/big sister programs the mentors can be vetted by seniors in the group, and selected for having balanced heads. They can then make sure our little newbies get off on the right path and don’t just blow money left right and center.
• Librairies. Okay, we’re all book hoarders. Between us all, we’ve probably got dozens of copies of the same book. So why don’t we share? Because we’re hoarders, is why. Why not set up a local bookshop in someone’s living room, where people can drop books off that they’ve done with? People don’t have to leave their books there forever, they could lend them for a month or two, and take them back afterwards.

 

There you go folks. A bunch of ideas off the top of my head -> all possible to be done in a free or nearly free format. How do I know? Because I’ve either been part of a free one or a nearly free one. It’s not that hard, and if the Christians can do it, we should be able to do it with the help of our gods.

 

 

A Small Ritual to Introduce Yourself to the Land when You Move

So I’ve recently moved. My landowner is a pagan (how lucky am I?) and we did a small ritual to introduce ourselves to the spirits and prepare for doing more rituals here. I’ve copied out what we did, in case it’s useful for anyone else.

/////

Before you begin, pick a spot that’s central to the feel of the land. We did ours at  bench beneath a tree, so the spirits could assemble at the table. Bring your offerings and place them upon the table. Light incense, candle, and open lids of drinks.

*ring bell *

Greetings to the spirits of this land. To the trees, the fairies, and to those who call this land home. Our names are __ and __ . We have moved here and intend to live here for the foreseeable future. In doing so, we hope to live in a peaceful and  harmonious relationship with all who dwell here. We envision our roles as that of nourishing the earth, of making this land better in many aspects. We ask that you, in return, protect us and help the land bloom and grow.

We also ask for your permission to host pagan rituals here for the group by the name of __. These rituals will have people of all kinds attending, hopefully in large numbers. We ask that you are gentle and welcoming to them, so as to help us have pleasant events.

*proceed to give gifts* ( we offered incense, a candle, drinks, and baked goods with fruit – so we had all the elements covered, as well as coffee grains and eggshells for the earth)

We’ve brought these gifts to share with you. Please enjoy them.

*sit down, wait a few moments before eating peacefully*

We concluded the ritual when the incense was burnt out. We didn’t say anything special, just buried the eggshells and coffee at the base of the tree where we will be doing our future offerings.

 

 

A Polytheist/Pagan Framework for Healing Mental Illness

Let’s talk about healing. But more specifically, healing as polytheists, as pagans, as wiccans.

I often see the ‘use nature’ way of healing promoted by these groups of people, as if nature alone can heal a soul/broken mind/damaged brain/whatever you want to call it. But, as someone who just moved back to the countryside and is in the middle of experiencing it’s effects upon myself, I’ve got some fresh arguments to post about that. In fact, I’ve had a flash of inspiration and have come up with ‘a thing’. Hopefully it’s the start of something positive. At worst it’s a flub.

Now here’s a thing I was told by a social worker. They told me that 30% of the work in healing comes from medication, and the rest is all therapy and self-work.

And that’s a balance I think we can all strive for. To take our medication as well as working on ourselves spiritually and enjoying nature.

Here I’m going to go out on a limb and propose a thing: a polytheist schema for healing mental health. I’m totally making this up and pulling it from my own experience and have Zero Sources for this. So take it with a bit of salt (and sage too haha).

I’m proposing that we, as a community, approach healing as necessitating 30% medication, 30% self work, 30% environmental help, and 10% divine intervention.

Let’s break this down.

30% medication

Well if you’ve been on this blog for a second or two, you’ll see that I am a huge advocate for medication. You’ll read that it’s really helped me, and that I have a sliver of trust in the doctors and social workers that treat me. Hence, I am following this, and sticking to their 30%.  For those who may be new to this blog: I believe that medication can be effective, wholesome, and positive if well done and properly supervised. Pro tip: not all doctors are wholesome and count as proper supervision. Sometimes they rush the process and don’t listen. Get one that you click with.

30% Self Work

Why such a big percentage for self work? Because I’ve found it to be exceedingly important. Or, as someone else I know was told by their doctor ‘you have to want to get better’. You have to be active in the process. Are you anxious? Work on it. Are you psychotic? Work on it.

How do I propose we ‘work on it’? I propose meditation (within reason), self-reflection, journaling, and basically anything that makes you conscious of yourself and helps you improve on that.

30% Environmental Help

Now here’s where my recent experiences come in. Yes, being in nature helps. But it’s not always all about nature. Sometimes it’s about the people who surround us, talk with us, and who are our therapists and doctors. These people and spirits (depending on how involved you are with your spirits) have a large influence on us. They can support us or tear us down. Having support around us is immensely important, so that’s why I’m boosting it up to an equal 30%

10% Divine Intervention

I’ve had divine intervention in my life, in my healing process. And I truly think that they have a part to do in it all. They are the door openers, door keepers, and opportunity presenters. But will they open the doors for us? Will they zap us better? Very rarely. It’s mainly us who has to do the work (up in that 30%). So that’s why I leave divine intervention at 10%. You can expect their help, but not too much, and not too often. You can expect to do the hard work yourself, because this is your path.

I’m not saying that spirituality need only play a 10% part of your life. I’m saying that’s the work your Deities will do with/for you. But the gods count as support and spiritual activities can count as self-care and self-work. Spirituality in itself overlaps in all the layers, even in our approach to our medication.

In conclusion? I honestly just came up with this, but it rings true to me (can we call it divine inspiration?) and more importantly, it gives a framework that, I find, encompasses my experiences. I will be writing more, hopefully coming up with more details and a healing system/process for pagans and polytheists out there. Details may change, I may recant and decide the whole ting is schmuck, but I’m trying to reach out and help.

I really  believe that, as a community, we need to come up with methods and techniques and frameworks within which to heal and help those with mental illnesses and mental health problems. I’d really love to hear your input on this, in order to help start a conversation. Each and every one of you has experiences that can help us, as a community, move towards more methods to heal.

#Eugenics & #Anti-choicers: Twitter Threads — paganhumanismcanada

First Thread How forced birther extremists push a #Nazi agenda. Three threads… #ProLife #antichoice #abortion #eugenics 1/ Anti-choicers maintain that their opposition to abortion is due to an immutable Christian belief that life begins at conception. But that is a relatively new historical stance. 2/ B4 the mid 1800’s, the Catholic church dismissed reproductive health […]

via #Eugenics & #Anti-choicers: Twitter Threads — paganhumanismcanada

The Freak Leads! ~ Thoughts on Leading as a Disabled Queer Person

Well hello. As some of you know, I”m mentally disabled. I’m also a survivor of domestic abuse and am very lucky to be where I am right now, mentally and physically.  I am also queer in the sense that even though I am trans, I manifest as a more femme man. Basically, as my wife and sister say, I’m a gay man who loves doing drag.

And here I am, trying to build community. Dreaming up a monastery for pagans. Leading rituals. Having my ideas stolen (yep) by greedy w(b)itches who want to make money out of copying my fund-raising charity events.  And generally, I plod along. My dream is my vocation, and I will do it.

But the other day, I hosted a BOS write-in (which became more of a chat-in) and noticed what strong personalities I had as my administration (because yes, I have a dedicated team of admins who support me). I fleetingly thought that wow, I am surrounded by the type of people that I would normally look up to so much. And then – WHAM! – I realized that I was the leader of these amazing people. That these strong, confident, and competent people must see something in me to be willing to follow me.

Well, aside from being an ego-boost, this moment taught me that there must be something in me that I’m not seeing. Some strength, some quality that others find worth following. And right now, as I write this, I’m thinking that maybe it’s not in spite of me being the freak, it’s because I’m the freak.

Maybe the reason transgender people are so often seen as leaders and sacred whatnots and ultimately special is because we dare. We’ve crossed such large and taboo barriers that we grow confidence in just not giving a fuck. Maybe the reason the disabled are leaders too is because we learn strength and resilience in overcoming our own selves. And maybe it’s the same for survivors of domestic abuse – who can read the invisible language of abuse far easier than others.

Maybe it’s all these qualities, shunned by society and shamed, that make me a leader are wiling to follow. My point is not that I bear a crystal gem within myself that irradiates my followers with enlightenment. It’s quite the opposite, it’s not so much about me as what has shaped me, and given me the strength and tools to inspire, dream, and lead. I’m probably just as special as the next person, but I’ve learnt from these adverse experiences and used them to become unique qualities and strengths.

I think, if I was to summarize, paganism needs  us freaks to step forward and dare to dream. We freaks are the leaders, not despite of our freakiness, but because of it, smashing down borders and getting all up in people’s business.

So dare people. Be Freaky!