Parent, Parent thy Self
by Euraid Eyre
It has come to that time of the month again. Another thought provoking article from yours truly. As usual I wait until inspiration (see: deadline) moves me. The truth is that the subject of this article is something that I have been kicking around for several months now. It’s time we talk about behaving the way we try to teach our children to behave.
Years ago when I began my practice I chose to be solitary mostly because there were no other pagans in the small town I was from. At least that’s what I thought but that is another article ENTIRELY! Later when I moved to Orlando and got into the community I stayed solitary because I could not stand the drama. Well, I’m in a coven now and involved in some local pagan meet up groups. I’m not allowed to be solitary anymore and that’s good but the thing I’ve noticed in meeting others is how childish they can act.
As my son grows in to a man and for that matter as all children grow into adults they are taught certain social behaviors to help them cope and be successful members of society. It is our responsibility as adults to teach the younger members of our tribe the rules. I mean, that’s the reason why some animals eat their young, step out of line and boom! Now, civilized humans don’t eat each other anymore but we can do much worse damage, we can devour someone’s soul. Unkind word here, a thoughtless act there can do damage that lasts a lifetime. All too often I have watched public events turn into a “my wand is bigger than your wand” contest. New members of the community or perhaps even those just beginning to show interest are afraid to ask questions for fear of being judged silly or inexperienced or “stupid”. Trust me, I’ve not only been there but I’ve picked up the tattered pieces of friends just starting down the path.
For a moment let’s go back to kindergarten. What did we learn there? Do not eat the paste does not count so try again. We learned to share. Sometimes the new kid forgot his crayons or even his lunch and we shared because it was right and a great way to make a new friend. We learned to take turns. Sometimes we were first in line sometimes we were farther back but we always made it to the playground in spite of who was first. We also learned in show and tell that other kids had stuff that was not only as cool as ours but sometimes even cooler. But the most important lesson we learn is to play nice and play fair. Karma, folks. The threefold law. It’s right there next to the play dough. If you play nice people will want to play nice with you.
Now, what does this have to do with generally being a pagan? Play nice in circle. The Goddess and God are watching. If the new kid messes up and knocks over a candle or walks the wrong direction or catches their robe on fire it’s all good. If their intent is pure and will is strong I don’t think the Goddess will put them in the cosmic corner. They’ll learn. Some smart and beautiful elder will take them by the hand and help them take their first wobbly steps towards the mystery. Won’t that be worth a gold star from teacher?
Until next time…
