Magical Names

I don’t have a magical name. I will wait a second to let you catch your breath (*shock, gasp*, how can she not have a magical name!?!) Yep, you read the last line correctly; I do not have a magical name. I have several Pagan friends, all of whom have magical names. Some have told me their names, others I guessed based on their online profiles on sites such Facebook and The Witch’s Voice. I have a few others who have never told me, or another person their magical name.
A while ago I tried to come up with one. What an adventure that was! Years ago I had used a Pagan name generator online for fun, well I might have well used it again for the luck I had in trying to find my magical name! I had a handful of good chuckles at some of the results I came up with, scratched my head at some that my friends had either heard or suggested, and was completely ticked off by the end of the endeavor.

One author I had read suggested that you sit down and write names at random, such as favorite animals, plants, colours and deities. So I did, my list comprised of Raven, Wolf, Dolphin, Horse, Eagle, Deer (my husband saw what I was doing and suggested the name “She who is Manic Squirrel”). Some of the plants I came up with were Oak, Apple, Rowan, Angelica, Belladonna, Strawberry, Mugwort, Irish Moss. For coulours I had Purple, Silver, Black and Green. Deities I skipped all together, I have to be honest, I was not comfortable having the name of a God or Goddess in my name. I am so far from being anything remotely divine most days that it felt like it would be more of an insult than a compliment (yes, yes, I know the entire concept of “thou art God, thou art Goddess, and I believe I hold a spark of the divine within me, as does everyone else, and that all life is sacred. But I screw up a lot and have a very long path ahead of me, I will never be perfect.)

So then I sat down and combined  names: Rowan Horse Green sounded rather silly to me, as did Silver Belladonna (although a friend of mine in Roller Derby asked if they could use it as the name for their mascot). Angelica Strawberry made me think of the lady who dances around the pole for a living and Black Horse made me think of a book on colours I had read to my sister. By the end of that particular endeavor (helped with a glass or two of wine) I was making up names just to be funny, which upon future (aka sober) reflection really weren’t that funny. Ok so that one didn’t work so I moved on to the next method.

I went through myths and history, writing down names that I liked from there, and there were a lot. Morgana, Vivienne, Bouddica, Joan (of Arc), Hatshepsut, Cleopatra Arwen, Elizabeth, Macha, Ethienne, Nimue, Diedre were all ones that made my list. Some I rejected right away. In online groups and meeting various people I came across a lot of Morgana (or variations), a ton of Vivienne’s, a handful of Cleopatra’s (on the male side Merlin, Arthur and Thor were popular). Those all went due to the sheer number of them that already used that name. Others I dropped because I felt their names would not be suitable for a Witch, for example Joan of Arc was a Catholic Martyr and Saint. Elizabeth also went since it’s the name of a current monarch and head of the Church of England. The rest I just did not seem to like or did not really seem to match me or my magical goals.

After that round I laid the task down for a few days to weed the garden and mow the lawn, thinking perhaps if I walk away from it I will get some inspiration. When a rainy day halted my plans for a long bike ride I went back to the name conundrum. Ok, Maybe stones added to the mix will help! Angelica Amethyst sounded way to much like an adult film star for my comfort, where Quartz Eagle sounded like a type of watch to me. Macha Belladonna sounded a bit to Hollywood for me and Silver Hematite Wolf just seemed odd.

So more frustration and a glass of wine followed. I read somewhere that some people will translate words into another language in order to get a right sounding name. I thought about it for a while and decided against it. Knowing my luck I would come up with the perfect name and then accidently translate it to mean something like “She who eats soup”. Besides, I wanted a name that I would know what it meant and how to spell it, rather than having to carry a cheat sheet for my name for months on end.

Ok so that didn’t turn out the way I wanted to, then one day I read a great meditation to help you find what your magical name is. I was determined to give it a try. Well the first three nights I fell asleep before I remembered I wanted to try it. So I then sat down in my pagan room to give it a shot. “ok, meditating, meditating… Breathing good… visualizing the tree, beautiful big tree of life… I really need to trim the branches on that one tree by the house, the branches will smash into the front window in a good wind… shit! Meditating, right. Ok breathing, breathing, going back to the tree… what is the dog barking at this time? Oh hubby has it. MEDITATING! Ok, see the tree, going to the tree, nice giant tree, looks like an oak. I wonder if I should water the oak we just planted, it’s been a really hot day… MEDITATE. Inner peace, nice and calm… SHIT I have to mail that gas payment still”! After an hour of this I gave up and after mailing the gas bill , helping trim the branches at the window and watering the Oak I had a beer. I have tried a couple of times since then and think I am going to have to find a voice recording of it because I can’t seem to meditate worth a damn.

So after a few months of beating my head against the wall with this I finally decided to let it go. At first it bothered me that I was unable to find a name for myself. Many witches I spoke to talked about great meditations where they found their name, others about how it clicked and felt more natural to them than their legal name did. Others told me about how spiritual and/or magical it made them feel, and how it brought them closer to their Gods. And when I heard this I was jealous, and wondered what was wrong with me that I could not find a name like they had.

But one day, I was sitting in my car at a red light, contemplating my lack of “witchyness” in not having a special name for myself (actually I was downright sulking about it), when I began to ask myself “what’s wrong with the name you have”? And it was a good question. I do not hate my name. There is even a unique and funny story as to how I was named! My middle names were a gift, as I was named after two female relatives in my middle name. My last name was the gift from my family, it gave me a place in the family, marked me as one of their own. When I got married I took my husband’s last name, as a gift from his family, an acceptance and a place in a family with a proud heritage and lineage. None of these are things to scoff at.

The name I have now has followed me throughout my life. I have used it in my low points, and in my high points. Over time it has come to encompass everything that I am. When I read that name written on a paper it carries with it all that I have created within myself, everything that I have become. And that is a pretty magical thing when you think about it. I also figure that the Gods have known me since before I was born, since I was “knee high to a grasshopper”, when I went through that wonderfully awkward stage called adolescence. They have known me since I became a woman, and started to define myself by working concretely in the world, and abstractly in my head. They know the flaws in my character, and the superior qualities I have cultivated. They have known me before I ever was granted the names I have for this lifetime, and probably know the names I will carry in future lives.

Perhaps one day I will stumble upon the perfect magical name and claim it as my own. For now, when I go before my Gods I go with the name my family gave me upon my birth, and the name I took as a gift from my Husband when we married. But feel free to use any name I have quoted above if they speak to you, I don’t think I will need them.

Yours Humbly

The Redneck Pagan

P.S.
For fun while writing this post I hit the internet and tried the “Pagan Name Generators”, and here is what I came up with:
http://www.fjordstone.com/fjo/generator.html
Sprite Branwen Annwnn
Druida Callista Avalon
Lilith Moonchild Aine
Ariel Lothlorien Druida
Rhiannon Angel Orca
Gwyneth Moonstone Moonchild
Wind Earthhaven Moonfire

http://pythorium.com/pagan_name_generator
Bluemoon  Dewdrop
Ever Iris Sea Kelpie
Ranger Crystal Witch
Treetop Toadstool
Leandra Blush Berry
Tiaret Raging Storm
Tamber Dewmist
Amethyst Dawn Airy Fairy

(Sadly I think I had better luck with these name generators than I did on my own.)
 

Coming out of the Broom Closet… Sorta

Coming out of the Broom closet is a huge issue for many Pagans. For those of you new to the path or who have never heard the term, Coming out of the Broom Closet is basically telling family, friends or whomever else you choose to tell that you are a witch. The term has been used by most people who follow earth based and magical spiritual paths. Some pagans will come out of the Broom Closet right away, as soon as they decide on their new path the world will know. Some will only tell close family and friends and some will wait for a few months or even years before telling anybody. And some still will follow their path in secrecy for the rest of their lives, telling only others on the path.

All of the above are perfectly acceptable! There is no one right way when it comes to sharing your path with others. I know a few pagans that are so far in the Broom Closet they passed Narnia four years ago (bad pun, no cookie!). They do not talk about anything unless you are a pagan yourself, and even then it might only be from the safety of an online chat group. On the other end of the scale I recently attended a Reclaiming event and met a few very “loud and Proud” pagans. They are very involved in political events and have no problem showing their paths.

I even know some people who will wear their “witch’s hat” everywhere (well maybe not the actual hat, have you ever tried to drive a small car wearing one of those things?). But they will tell everybody and their dog that they are a pagan/witch/Wiccan/Whatever. They might be trying to form a coven and are fishing for members, or they feel that the world must hear the good word of the Goddess (pagan equivalent to the JW’s), and even a few more that just want the attention. They want to start a fight to prove how superior they are. And some still are just very excited and grateful for finding the path that they can’t hold it all in! Then there are those of us who have chosen a middle ground (of sorts). We wear our pentacles or goddess symbols every day, but don’t go tromping about making a lot of noise to draw attention to ourselves.

Now I do not want to pass judgment here, everybody has to live their lives in a way that brings them the most peace and harmony. My thoughts and opinions on how to live as a Pagan are just as valid as the next persons.  So with that point cleared out, and the primer in my hands I am going to share how I have sorta stepped out of that Broom Closet.

The first people I told were my immediate family. I was still living at home at the time and felt that before I began to do anything I really owed my family the explanation. I had spent a long time thinking, reading, and asking two of my pagan friends’ questions before I decided I wanted to try my hand at this path. I then sat down with my mother one Saturday over a cup of coffee and told her I was thinking about reading on other religions. At first I got a blank stare. Then she asked me why. I told her about now feeling like I connected to Christianity, hated going to church (not that I was forced to go, I went willingly on my own, trying to connect to the divine) and wanted to Study more Earth Based religions.

We talked for a few hours about it and my mother was very calm and compassionate about it. She told me to go ahead, learn and study, just keep her in the loop: “I know you are not a baby anymore sweetie, and that as a grown woman you can make your own choices. But as your mother I love you and worry and just need to know you are safe. So keep me in the loop so that I don’t freak out ok?” After sharing a few books with her, some long talks about the path I had chosen and seeing that I was not going to join a cult she was very comfortable with the idea and we would often banter and joke about me being a witch.

The next person was Dad. After my talk with mom I went to where he was working as a bartender (yes, my dad worked as a bartender for years on Saturdays, cool dad!!!) I sat at the Bar at closing time while he was washing glasses and told him the same thing I told mom. He was much calmer than my mom; he said he figured I was searching and that he supported whatever choice I made. I occasionally told him what I was up to and explained tools if he asked what they were. My brother was next and that was the interesting one. On my first outdoor ritual the kid popped himself a bag of popcorn, sat in the backyard and declared “I’m here to see me some good Voodoo”. He then offered a running commentary on everything I was doing and saying. To this day he asks me “Done any good Voodoo lately?” but that is my brother, he has let me do card readings on him and his girlfriend and will even buy me stones or pentacles he finds that he thinks I will like.

My pagan friends already know what I was up to, but then I told my best friend. I was almost as afraid to tell her as I had been my mother. She had been a very active in her church youth group for years and we had never really discussed alternate spirituality before. I ended up blabbing it to her before work one day, after chickening out several times when we went out for lunch. I really had nothing to fear. She was so kind, loving and receptive. She said I had always been a bit different so this came as no surprise to her. Since them she, myself and her two roommates have had a wonderful time, discussing spirituality, magic and exchanging card readings.

Other friends have found out gradually over time. Some find out based on a book I am reading at the time, or a post I make on my personal facebook page. At work I don’t wear my spirituality on my sleeve, but I really don’t hide it either. I always wear a pair of Pentacle earrings and a few stone rings, I also have either a Pentacle necklace or Goddess symbol necklace on. However as I have said I dress in professional manner. My cubicle has some pagan oriented pictures and a few crystals in it. Again not really hiding it, but I don’t stop everybody at work to tell them the properties of the crystals or what spell I am using it in next week.

My involvement with the wider Pagan community is a mixed bag. On the local scene I go by my legal name, I communicate with others and attend events. I will occasionally even help set up an event or help with the event (although recently I scaled back my involvement because of my last group experience). Whenever I write anything however, I use the name “The Redneck Pagan”. It’s not that I am ashamed of who and what I am; it’s that I like my privacy. I have no desire to walk a red carpet anytime soon. I am very happy being an “average Jane” and while I love to write and share my journey, I like to walk it unhindered. I don’t want people who dislike what I have to say able to find me, or my family.

This is what works for me. It has allowed me to express my faith in a manner that is comfortable to me. I know some people will be shocked at how open I am, while others will be appalled at how much I have hid. And they are most welcome to their opinions, because you see, what they and others think of me is no concern of mine. My faith, the way I practice, what I choose to tell others is my choice. So if you want to come out of the broom closet in a loud exuberant way, do it (although don’t be surprised if you get fall out, not everybody is accepting of that which is different), if you want to slowly build up to it, that’s great. And if you are happy practicing solitary and keeping your faith to yourself, that is awesome as well. All of these are equally valid choices, and are yours alone to make. Do not feel like you must go one way or another, and don’t feel like you have to make that decision today. Take your time to decide, and don’t let anybody else tell you which way is right!

Yours Humbly

The Redneck Pagan

Why the Redneck Pagan

Why the Redneck Pagan? I haven’t been asked this particular question yet, but I have had some similar questions posed in the past (and I figure the question will come up soon enough) . My favorite ones include: “Redneck… you?” or “Why on earth would you call yourself a Redneck?” and of course “What the hell makes you a Redneck”. Most of these questions have come up when I have self identified as a Redneck at work. And I can understand that question. You see at work I dress in nice slacks, a nice shirt or sweater, my hair is done and I typically wear very modest makeup. I speak in a low and calm voice, using very professional language. Not what most people think of when they hear the word Redneck!

For many people the name Redneck calls up a much different character. The person most people would associate with being a Redneck is loud and crass. She or he would be wearing very bright and almost inappropriate clothing. They would be the kind of people who are under or even uneducated, living in the trailer park and are often drunk. They tend to listen to country western music and really love either the Rodeo’s or NASCAR. This is the stereotype most people associate with Rednecks, and this stereotype has been played up by the media for comedic effect. But there is more to this term and the people who embrace it than you think!

For example how many people know where the term came from? I do, it started in the southern United States over 100 years ago, around 1893. The term was used to mean the poor farmers, their necks were often red from the sunburn. The term also was used in the earlier part of the 1900s to designate Union Members of the Coal Miners. As the century marched on the term was no longer used for just poor farmers and coal miners. Many members of the lower classes in the southern United States began to refer to themselves by this term and it really gained popularity with comedic acts such as Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy.

Are you impressed yet? No? I don’t blame you. Anybody with an internet connection could have checked Google and Wikipedia for these same facts (and is where I found them a few years ago). So let’s examine some of these stereotypes in detail. To help me with this I rely on the comedy act of Jeff Foxworthy and his “you might be a Redneck If…” lines.

“If you own a house that is mobile and fourteen cars that aren’t, you might be a Redneck”. This joke hits on two classical Redneck Stereotypes: Rednecks have messy yards and live in trailer parks. Well look a little deeper. I have a neighbor like this (lives across the street actually) do you know why he has a mobile home and fourteen cars (well right now it’s three trucks and a rider mower). The mobile home is actually a double wide trailer and at the time he and his wife bought it they were building a life together and the only financing they had available at the time was to buy the trailer. Over time they moved it onto a larger lot in our small town. They have found with some improvements and placing it onto a basement that it more than suits their needs.

You see we Rednecks typically are not greedy people. We find what it is we need, and go with it. My husband and I lucked out with our house as it is a bit larger than what we needed, but being in a smaller town it was well in our price range. Prior to finding that house we were looking at smaller places in the larger city near our home now. We were not looking for a mansion, just a nice little corner to call our own. All Rednecks that I have been honored to know actually do have the finances to get larger homes, they choose not to because they have what they need.

As to the fourteen cars? Most of the Rednecks I know are very mechanically inclined and work well with their hands. They hate to see anything go to waste if they can find a way to use it. My neighbor for example is fixing up an old truck, the other two on his lot he is salvaging for parts. Once he is done with them he will take them to the scrap yard to recycle the metal. He is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, or crawl under a rusty truck if it means being able to use something. His philosophy is that somebody, somewhere put a heck of a lot of time and effort to gather the materials and have the trucks built, he  might as well appreciate their effort and use it. He’s the same way about anybody’s cooking, if you make him something he will eat it (even my terrible cooking). And for those asking, he’s not Pagan, not very spiritual actually. Once he asked us if we went to church or something. I replied we had other spiritual pursuits. He laughed and said that’s ok because he’s not really anything “there’s something out there, figure if I live good I’ll get where I have to go.”

As a Pagan I fully embrace both of these ideals! So many people today are fixated on mass consumerism. Buying the latest greatest toys, the hottest cars, gadgets, makeup, food and houses. So many of these things are tossed aside as the next greatest thing comes along. As a Pagan I know the Earth, and everything in her is Sacred. I also know that unchecked consumerism creates a whole slew of problems for the Earth, and I am sure those reading my blog do as well. Our society is very far out of balance, taking far more than we need and not using everything we have. I know I am guilty of this myself, but I am trying to change.

“If you’ve ever had to climb to the top of the water tower with a bucket of paint to defend your sister’s honor, you might be a redneck”. For those of you who might not get this joke, water towers are popular places to paint obscene comments about other people in some communities. So basically somebody wrote something nasty about your sister, you have to paint over it before anybody see’s it. But what does this tell you. It tells you that family is important, and we look after our own. It doesn’t matter what your sister is like, you get up on that water tower and paint over whatever they wrote. If your mother is sick, you take care of her, if dad calls and needs your help over the weekend, you go and help.

Family is everything. We all are born into a family, some are good, some are bad, but they are still family. Now obviously I am not talking about extreme cases where there was abuse. I am talking about the average everyday family. We have an aunt in my family (well my husband’s side), who is “nuttier than a bedbug”, she can drive a Mormon to drink. I will spare you the details but she is not my, or my husband’s, favorite relative to visit. We have nothing in common other than blood. But if she called tomorrow and said she was sick or really needed help with something in her home we would be there as soon as possible to help her.

Service to others is a huge part of Paganism. We recognize that we are not alone, what we do comes back to us. And what we do to or for another, will have far reaching effects that we cannot begin to understand. The roots of our current faith lie in the tight knit clan societies of the past, where we looked out for one another. As a Pagan I take care of my family and as a Redneck I know that family matters.

“If you’ve ever hit a deer with your truck… on purpose, you might be a redneck”. Almost every Redneck I know is a hunter. I have never gone myself but we are planning to have me going for my general deer tag in September, so I am going to be soon enough. And yes there are antlers on our wall. We have one set of shed antler on the bookcase, several antler handled knives and a set of Mule Deer antlers on the wall. The ones on the wall are special; it was from the last buck my husband’s grandfather shot before he passed away. My husband mounted the antlers for him and when his grandfather passed away the antlers went back to my husband and have stayed with him to this day. But here is something you might be surprised to hear: all the Rednecks I know HATE poachers with a passion. They believe that anybody who shoots an animal and only takes the head or hide, and leaves behind the meat, should be shot and left the way they left the animal.

You see the Rednecks I know respect the animal; they take a long time getting to know the animal, their habitat, their behavior. They spend hours walking the land, learning the terrain. They also make sure they know the law and all purchase their “tags”. In the province of Alberta hunting is regulated, anybody who wishes to hunt and kill an animal that is not labeled as vermin (skunks, mice and coyotes are examples of vermin in Alberta) has to purchase a tag for permission to kill the animal. The number of tags granted is based on population counts, fewer animals in the wild equals smaller number of tags issued. The goal is sustainability of the animal species.

 All the Rednecks I know respect this system and hunt within sustainable limits. When they finally (and after listening to stories about long hours and days on end sitting and waiting it is a finally moment) shoot the animal they spring to work. There is of course a few pictures and congratulations to each other, but then they begin the work of skinning and butchering. My husband typically will say a prayer of thanks to the animal as he is skinning it. They will collect all the meat they can, using as much of the animal as possible (granted most do not keep the brain, intestine or hoofs). The meat is stored, and eaten by the hunters family and friends for months. And remember what I said earlier, even if the meal is awful, they will eat it.

Now the topic of hunting is a very sticky one in the Pagan community. Some Pagans are ok with it, some are uneasy about it and others are against it. Some Pagans still eat meat while others have become staunch vegetarians. My stance is that yes, all life is sacred, from the smallest stone to the Himalayan Mountains, from the single cell amoeba to the Humpback whale. However in order to live, some must die. Even the carrot you pull out of the ground for your salad has given its life so that you may live. And when we die we feed the life force, becoming food for bacteria that will nourish the soil and help the sapling grow. The key to me is gratitude. If you take a life, any life, you are thankful and use it without wasting. I have no problem with hunters, who put in the effort to hunt legally, who know and understand where there food comes from and will use the animal and not waste it. I do have an issue with the poacher who only takes the head, or even the punk that buys a steak in a supermarket and then lets half of rot.

“If your family tree does not fork… you might be a redneck” well this one I am not sure how to comment. My family tree forks, so does my husbands. I have not spent a lot of time following the genealogy of the other Rednecks I know, however I have not heard of any cousins marrying, or other similar cases. So I cannot fully comment on this particular stereotype, however Rednecks are not alone in this stereotype. Ever gone and traced the family tree of the Monarchs and Noble Families of Europe? Yeah…. Read up on it sometime, up until recently they seem to have a similar problem with their family trees.

Now obviously I have not touched up on all the myths and stereotypes and jokes there are about Rednecks. That might take a book or ten to go over! I have only selected a few to showcase, and to tell my perspective on! This may or may not be the perspective of other Rednecks out there, but I do hope at the very least it has given you something to mull over. Rednecks are like any other people, we have our good aspects, and our not so good aspects, but there is always more to us than people usually see.

Yours Humbly

The Redneck Pagan

All Redneck Jokes are the creative property of Jeff Foxworthy: http://www.jefffoxworthy.com