Other Good Questions from Witches Weekly...

How do you (or would you) go about teaching/including your child about your practice/beliefs?

What kind of coming of age ritual might you suggest for your child and how would you approach them about it?

What might you tell them about being a Pagan in a Christian-centric community?


Oh, boy... I'll start off with this caveat: This is one of those hot buttons that I often end up jumping up and down about - be warned. This is simply what *I* believe - it's not what you should do - but keep in mind how YOU were when you were little, and it might make sense. Also - note the word "normally" - there are those young 'uns who are exceptions to the rule. I believe that they show themselves naturally, and their parents will be able to see maturity and understanding as the child exhibits it.


First of all - I *DON'T* teach or include children - ANY children, mine or otherwise - in my practice or beliefs. Those under the age of 12 aren't normally able to understand the concept of a higher power, or of gods/goddesses, or rituals and why they are there. They are too busy learning about the world as a whole, and how it affects them directly, and how they can affect the world - it's not a matter of higher powers placing that tree there because it was meant to be - it's a matter of how high they can climb it.


Those between the ages of 12 and 15 normally are too involved with themselves to pay attention to the world at large, and will only be interested in being a pagan for the sake of being different. They are not normally aware enough to appreciate the mysteries of what is going on in the world beyond what directly affects them - they are, after all, teenagers.


That being said - if I were to teach someone else about my beliefs, and I felt that they were old enough to understand them, the first thing that I would do is to basically have them sit down and write everything they currently understand about the god/dess. then have them write down questions that they have about what they DON'T understand. This gives me a basis on where to start from - I don't want to go over what they already know - I want to find out what they do know, what they understand, and where to go from there.


As far as a coming of age ritual - I'd ask them whether they *want* one, first. Some children don't want to be the center of attention, some do - some don't care. I'd also ask them what they'd want IN their ceremony, who they'd want to be there, what they'd want to do for it. I'd help them in planning what they want, with the idea that the end result is them feeling more mature and adult - which is, really, what a coming of age ritual is all about.


Regarding "being pagen in a christo-centric world"... Well, that's something that would happen as I continue teaching them. I believe what my mother always taught me about religions in the world... "Picture a bicycle wheel," she'd say, "You can imagine one, can't you? All the spokes running from the outside rim to the hub? Ok - well, think of it this way - the world is the outside rim. All those spokes? Those are the different religions and how people believe through their life's path. The hub of the wheel is what we get to as we travel through our lives and down our individual religious pathways.


"Just like the bicycle wheel can't support anything without the many different spokes to even out the balance of weight, the world can't survive without the many different religions and paths of life that we, as human beings, take. It is up to each one of us to appreciate the differences, accept them, embrace them, and know that our choices aren't the only ones in the world - but that we help support the world with them." I think my mother is a very wise woman regarding religion.


Part of what I would teach is that being in a christo-centric world doesn't have to be a bad thing - but I believe that religious intolerance is still something to be aware of. I don't advertise what religion I am at work - this isn't necessarily because I'm afraid of what "the man" might do to me. It's because I don't feel that my religion (or anyone else's, for that matter) is something that should be discussed at work - I feel the same way about politics and sex. Unless your work happens to be at a religious order, don't talk about religion. Unless you happen to work at a porn shop, or a sex shop, don't talk about sex. Unless you work with a politician, don't talk about politics. It's just not professional, and it's no one else's business what I do outside of work. At work, I'm on THEIR dime - which means that I need to be a positive representative of my company. Outside of work, I'm on MY dime - which means that, as long as I don't drag my company's name into it, I can do as I please with my religious / political / sexual beliefs.


~M