Jul 23, 2011
Some people claim that they don't have enemies. If you're a Wiccan or a Pagan, you do. Between the folks who would like to ride you out of town on a fence-rail, the people who will stop at nothing to spread lies about us, the people who make it hard or even impossible for us to enjoy what others consider theirs as a matter of course, the people who try everything from laws to zoning ordinances to try to prevent us from practicing our faith, and the people who sit idly by and do nothing when it is their appointed duty to help, we do indeed have enemies.
Of course, most of our enemies have other enemies. Do you think we have an exclusive on their attention? Of course not! Did you know that it's a historic fact that the Ku Klux Klan didn't bother much with African-Americans in Oregon? In Oregon, the KKK was primarily an anti-Catholic organization, and a good number of the laws the KKK introduced to prevent the Catholics from having too much influence are still on the books! And let's not forget the people who have been pulled off of airplanes in the name of "security" for praying Jewish prayers in Hebrew! And let's not forget Matthew Sheperd - it wasn't being a Wiccan that got him killed.
So, if we look around, there are a few groups of people who have the same enemies as we do! And there have been some pretty great alliances and friendships which began with the fact of having the same enemies.
And so, here is a place where we can begin. And, we can build from there. Working together brings dialogue, and with that comes mutual respect. Nobody's asking anyone to give up anything except perhaps a few preconceived notions. And from there, we can build.
Blessed Be!