Of Pentagrams and Pagans
Some of my experiences from my life as a young pagan; also my attempts at dispelling some common misconceptions.
Let’s start this off by being plain: I am a pagan.
But before being a pagan, I am a person - and last time I checked, most people don’t enjoy having their spirituality stomped on.
Don’t know what I mean? Let me explain it to you.
I wear a pentagram on most days as a charm on my favorite silver chain. The pentagram is a grounding symbol, representing five elements - earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. It is a completely benevolent and positive sign and it comforts many people all over the world. However, not all people know this. They associate the pentagram with the inverted pentagram, a symbol of Satanists. The inverted pentagram symbolizes the carnal urges of humans and yielding to those desires.
See the difference?
Many times people see my necklace and assume that I am a Satanist, when this is the farthest thing from the truth. People who follow my faith do not believe in Satan, let alone worship him, and I find it so upsetting that many think so wrongly of my chosen spiritual path.
Even in my immediate family I am not completely accepted. If I ever bring up a spiritual topic, my mother rolls her eyes and changes the subject. My father urges me to call myself something other than ‘pagan’.
From my own experience, true pagans are kind folk, who have the best interests of the earth and fellow humans in mind. They care for the global community in whichever way they can and many of them are feminists, women’s rights advocates, animal rights advocates, environmentalists, etc., and bring positive influence to the world.
Wiccans, members of a religion within paganism, follow the three-fold law, which states that one should do what they wish to do unless it hurts someone. Pagans are strongly against bloodshed, ritual sacrifices, and anything else that could cause harm to another living thing, even the environment.
In short, I beg whoever reads this article to please research belief systems and religions before you judge them. You might find out some pretty interesting things, and who knows? You may find a new belief system for yourself.
Blessings, love, and light.
But before being a pagan, I am a person - and last time I checked, most people don’t enjoy having their spirituality stomped on.
Don’t know what I mean? Let me explain it to you.
I wear a pentagram on most days as a charm on my favorite silver chain. The pentagram is a grounding symbol, representing five elements - earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. It is a completely benevolent and positive sign and it comforts many people all over the world. However, not all people know this. They associate the pentagram with the inverted pentagram, a symbol of Satanists. The inverted pentagram symbolizes the carnal urges of humans and yielding to those desires.
See the difference?
Many times people see my necklace and assume that I am a Satanist, when this is the farthest thing from the truth. People who follow my faith do not believe in Satan, let alone worship him, and I find it so upsetting that many think so wrongly of my chosen spiritual path.
Even in my immediate family I am not completely accepted. If I ever bring up a spiritual topic, my mother rolls her eyes and changes the subject. My father urges me to call myself something other than ‘pagan’.
From my own experience, true pagans are kind folk, who have the best interests of the earth and fellow humans in mind. They care for the global community in whichever way they can and many of them are feminists, women’s rights advocates, animal rights advocates, environmentalists, etc., and bring positive influence to the world.
Wiccans, members of a religion within paganism, follow the three-fold law, which states that one should do what they wish to do unless it hurts someone. Pagans are strongly against bloodshed, ritual sacrifices, and anything else that could cause harm to another living thing, even the environment.
In short, I beg whoever reads this article to please research belief systems and religions before you judge them. You might find out some pretty interesting things, and who knows? You may find a new belief system for yourself.
Blessings, love, and light.
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