I hope you all have a Blessed and Magickal Full Moon. Mine was spent packing the last minute essentials for vacation. Then my BFF called to tell me she doesn't think she will be able to come on vacation with us; long story short - something shitty has happened and it's now a $ issue. To say I am bummed is an understatement :( I will know more later, she is due to fly into Orlando on Monday so there's still hope.

In the meantime, I am still super excited about our upcoming trip AND the trip we have planned for October - YAYAYA!

By the way, I created another blog 'Disney Vacation Trip Reports' to document this trip.
In addition to the new blog, I also created a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account as well!


So now, when we're on vacation I will be posting real time updates to the new blog which will in turn post to the Facebook Fan Page and Twitter! Once we're back, I'll have wonderful documentation of our trip and will be able to write up a nice trip report without missing anything!

I hope you'll subscribe to the new blog and become a fan/follower!

Today is Earth Day but every day should be Earth Day, don't you think? Even if you do something small each day, such as recycle, that helps.

When people say the Earth is in the worst shape it has ever been in, I must disagree. The Earth has been in dire straights before and she cleanses herself. It is going to happen again. The fact that we have been trashing the Earth is a reality and she will rid herself of the damage we've done.

Well, the last month has been, interesting, to say the least! Controversy here on my blog, controversy in my work life, controversy in my personal life; I'm ready for a vacation!

So onto the flip side; I've been busy writing articles for Demand Studios to build up some fun money to spend on our Disney trip - which is in 9 days! If you want to follow along during the vacation, check out Disney Vacation Trip Reports because I will be posting real time updates with pictures!

I am in a dire need of a vacation, so far all is going as planned BUT now my mom is sick and even though she isn't going, my grandma is and she lives with my mom. Let's hope grandma doesn't get sick! She has a doctor appointment on Friday - just for a check up. This appt. was scheduled months ago because I want my grandma to see her doctor to make sure she is healthy enough to travel. *fingers crossed*

Don't forget, tomorrow is Earth Day ;]

I want to thank you all for the excellent feedback regarding my last few posts. I enjoy seeing all points of view, even if I don't agree ;)

I 'grew up' on Type O Negative. Well, I spent my early 20's immersed in this music. Such sad news...

Apparently my last few blog entries have upset some people so much they've gone as far as unsubscribing to my blog and un-friending me on Facebook. To me, that is well, a bit much and it shows just how sensitive some people really are...or maybe the truth hurts?

Either way, I felt as though I needed to acknowledge the fact that I honestly don't know what people expect. Do they expect to come to a blog and read what they want to hear? To never read something they don't agree with? I mean, sure, I keep this blog mostly upbeat. I created it to share my ideas and thoughts and what knowledge I have but there will be times I don't agree with something and I will voice that opinion. I am NOT a very 'PC' person, in fact, I find people like that annoying. I am blunt and sometimes down right obnoxious; I express my opinion and I have that right, just like everyone else. I will not tip toe around things 'just in case' I offend someone.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, New Moon is right around the corner; time for a fresh start...

So, all the comments that came pouring in regarding Pagans celebrating Christian holidays certainly got me thinking. I am a Libra and for that reason I am always trying to see everyone's point of view. This sometimes gets me into trouble because it tends to set my mind wandering off in a direction my heart is not in. Figures it would take my significant other to reel me back in with common sens; a common sense at least he and I follow.

He made this comment on my last post and I have to say, out of all the comments made, this is the one I agree with the most and yes that IS because he is my other half. We share the same views and perhaps that is why get along so well.

Zyon:

"Seriously it's a completely stupid subject. If you are Pagan you do not celebrate Easter or Christmas in any form. They are christian holidays and have nothing to do with earth based religions. If someone blogs, "I'm gong to go celebrate Easter" and they claim to be Pagan they have no value for their own religion.

I get very tired of people assuming we will celebrate whatever they feel is normal to celebrate. Why would I celebrate the birth or death of a man I don't believe lived? Ask me to celebrate Easter and as a "non believer" and I will tell you what I think about Easter.

I also love how people say, "well what if they want to celebrate your holiday with you?" Well, I don't like hypocrites anymore then I like Christia... If a Christian said they wanted to celebrate a Pagan holiday then they don't have enough conviction to stand up for what they believe in.

Christians and Pagans are fundamentally hard wired differently and our beliefs mix like water and oil. So I say, Christians, go celebrate your God's holidays in a manner that obviously steals as much as possible from Pagan holidays and us Pagans will continue to celebrate our holidays that predate the Christian versions by a few thousand years."

I've gotten a lot of great responses to my last post "Are You Pagan? Really?" and the most recent comment had many questions in it so I am going to answer them in this post.

Here is the comment:

I can understand where you are coming from and agree to a point, but I don't think you need be miffed about it. Pretend for a minute like I'm not in the closet. I still tell my family Happy Easter and Merry Christmas. I give them Christmas gifts. I also wish my Jewish bestfriend a happy Hanukkah and buy her a Hanukkah present. I am not now nor ever have been Jewish, but someone I care about is and I will show my respect and love for her by acknowledging special days in her faith. She is not pagan, but will buy me a Yule present.
I still celebrate Easter with my family because it's FUN. Every year the whole family (2 grandparents, 17 parents, 20 grandkids, and 1 great-grandkid) get together and we have a massive blow-out, enter at your own risk confetti egg/silly string fight. It won't happen on Ostara b/c my family is not Pagan. They are Catholic. Does that give me the right to make them change the date? That's asking a bit much for the size of my family. Does that mean I should not participate because it's offensive that they are celebrating on the wrong day? Well, then I would miss out on a lot of fun and family time. Also, I know plenty of Pagans that choose to celebrate Ostara on the nearest full moon. Sometimes that can be weeks before or after. Are they wrong? If your best friend invited you to their house for Easter dinner, would you turn them down simply because it's not "the right holiday"? I think that would be kind of rude. I think you should look at it the other way, too. Would you be mad if someone gave you a Yule present, even though they were not Pagan? Would you be upset if your family was Catholic, but wanted to celebrate Ostara with you? Should their friends be upset because their egg hunt pictures appeared on the internet two weeks before Easter?

Not trying to ruffle feathers, just coming at from a different angle.

My Response:

I still tell my family Happy Easter and Merry Christmas. I give them Christmas gifts. I also wish my Jewish bestfriend a happy Hanukkah and buy her a Hanukkah present. I am not now nor ever have been Jewish, but someone I care about is and I will show my respect and love for her by acknowledging special days in her faith. 

My point EXACTLY. You wish her a happy Hanukkah and buy her a Hanukkah present - you don't say, "Merry Christmas" and give her a Christmas gift on Christmas. That would be disrespectful.

She is not pagan, but will buy me a Yule present.

That is nice :)

This is fine - you are not celebrating the holiday by giving them a gift or wishing them a happy Easter, Hanukkah or Merry Christmas. If you choose to buy them a gift or they buy you a gift, that is completely different from what I was referring to in my last post about actually celebrating something you don't believe in.

I still celebrate Easter with my family because it's FUN. Every year the whole family (2 grandparents, 17 parents, 20 grandkids, and 1 great-grandkid) get together and we have a massive blow-out, enter at your own risk confetti egg/silly string fight. It won't happen on Ostara b/c my family is not Pagan. 
They are Catholic. Does that give me the right to make them change the date? That's asking a bit much for the size of my family. Does that mean I should not participate because it's offensive that they are celebrating on the wrong day? Well, then I would miss out on a lot of fun and family time. 

Again, you're missing my point. Going to a family member's house on THEIR holiday is different from celebrating it on your own. I still go to my mom's on Christmas Eve for dinner and she stops over at my house on Yule. What I DON'T do is give my Witchlets presents on Christmas. We don't sit around the Yule tree on Christmas Eve or morning and open gifts; we open gifts on Yule. I don't give my Witchlets Easter baskets - we don't do any egg hunts on Easter; those things are done on Ostara. Visiting family on their holiday is not what I was referring to.

Also, I know plenty of Pagans that choose to celebrate Ostara on the nearest full moon. Sometimes that can be weeks before or after. Are they wrong?  

I know Pagans that celebrate Sabbats on a date that suits the entire group, so everyone can attend; but if you are referring to Pagans that celebrate, for example, Ostara on the following Full Moon instead of on the Equinox, well of course that's incorrect.

If your best friend invited you to their house for Easter dinner, would you turn them down simply because it's not "the right holiday"?  I think that would be kind of rude.

Again, visiting family/friends on their holiday isn't the issue. Do they have blessed food they want me to eat (Catholics do this on Holy Saturday) - if so, I might decline and no it's not rude. It's rude for them to think I want to eat blessed food. Did they make me or my Witchlets Easter baskets? I would have to say I would not agree with that. My mom does this and it irritates me. She makes Easter baskets for the kids and gives them to them on Easter. Why not give them colored eggs and candy on Ostara - the holiday they celebrate.

I think you should look at it the other way, too. Would you be mad if someone gave you a Yule present, even though they were not Pagan?

No, that's just silly. If they want to give me a present for a Sabbat I believe in and celebrate, that's wonderful. That is their decision. But don't give me a gift on Christmas. I don't hand my Jewish friends gifts on Christmas. I don't send them Christmas cards - that's stupid, they don't celebrate it.

Would you be upset if your family was Catholic, but wanted to celebrate Ostara with you? 

No, I'd fall over from the thought. That is THEIR prerogative.

Should their friends be upset because their egg hunt pictures appeared on the internet two weeks before Easter?

You lost me on this one :P

In conclusion:

I think somehow my point was unclear to some. My issue is not with visiting family and friends on 'their' holidays. I even said that in my last post: "I'm not talking about going to see family on 'their' holiday. I do that too, it's more of a tradition than a religious thing."

What I am referring to is this: making your kids an 'Easter basket' and giving it to them on Easter. Having an egg hunt on Easter for your kids. If you celebrate Ostara then those things should have already been done for Ostara, why are you doing them again on Easter? Why are you wishing your Pagan friends a happy Easter?

On Christmas, why are you opening gifts? Didn't you do that on Yule? We have a Yule tree every year and every year on Yule we have dinner as a family and open gifts. The tree stays up until sometimes the end of January (mostly because CJ and I are too lazy to take it down earlier) but on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning we don't exchange gifts. We do visit my mom on Christmas Eve and that is okay; she wants us to have dinner with her. People celebrate 'the season' for about an entire 2 weeks in December. However, we don't appreciate 'Merry Christmas' cards from my mom but she gives them to us anyway. We don't give her 'Blessed Yule' cards because SHE DOESN'T CELEBRATE YULE. As I said before, would you send a Jewish friend a 'Merry Christmas' card? No, you would wish your Jewish friends a happy Hanukkah ON Hanukkah.

I find it offensive that some friends/family don't seem to care what my family believes in and celebrates. They still give us Happy Easter and Merry Christmas cards. CJ's mom told him on the phone this year, "Am I allowed to say 'Happy Easter'?" and he replied with, "No, I don't celebrate Easter. Why didn't you call me on Ostara and wish me a happy spring?" (I'm sure I didn't quote that 100% correct but you get the point) Why would she? She doesn't celebrate Ostara? Right - but we do and if she wants to wish us a happy anything then it should be something we celebrate, not something we fully do NOT believe in.

In the cases where people are still in the 'closet' - well, that is an entire other discussion.  For those who have immediate family (spouse) that is absolutely another religion and  believes in it, then sure, it should be split up but BOTH religions should be acknowledged, not just one. I have a friend who is Jewish and her husband is Catholic, they have 2 children. The family celebrates BOTH Jewish and Catholic holidays - that is how it should be. One should not stifle the other.

Am I miffed? Sure. Why? Because to me this IS a big deal. I am tired of being put off by non Pagan family and friends who feel what I believe in is 'not real' for lack of a better term, so they completely ignore it yet shower me with cards and presents during their holidays. So, when I see Pagans actually celebrating Christian holidays, it makes me wonder...

Before I even begin to venture down the road I am about to, let me get one thing straight; I realize there are many paths of Paganism and that spirituality starts with your heart. However, I believe actions speak what the heart feels. If you're Pagan, why do you celebrate Christian holidays?

I'm not talking about going to see family on 'their' holiday. I do that too, it's more of a tradition than a religious thing. I'm talking about full blown celebrations. See, over Easter weekend I noticed many of my Pagan Facebook friends posting various unusual status messages like:

• "Happy Easter everyone!"
• "Have a safe and wonderful Easter!"
• "Watching the movies the kids got in their Easter baskets"
• "The Easter bunny was here and brought lots of goodies!"

Then I saw photos of Easter egg hunts and the like. Ummm, what? I didn't see much of this at all on or around Ostara. Why not have egg hunts and do fun things on Ostara? What's with giving kids Easter baskets? My mother does that every year and it irritates me and every year I have to have a discussion with her. I am constantly reminding her that she is 2 weeks late on the baskets. I find that disrespectful, but that's a rant for another time.

Like I said, I realize people visit family on holidays and such. What I don't understand is the sheep mentality. I mean, I have some Jewish friends; I don't see them giving each other Easter baskets 'just because it's Easter' or having a Christmas tree and giving each other presents on Christmas. They have their own traditions. They don't celebrate other religion's holidays just because 'everyone else is' - so why do some Pagans? It's just easier?  Look, I've been fighting my mom about this for years and eventually one day, if she continues to shove her holidays down my throat, she won't see us at all, even for a simple 'holiday' dinner.

Exposing children to other religions is absolutely fine, it makes them knowledgeable and well rounded. Having them celebrate other religions is odd to me. Shouldn't we first institute our beliefs within the family and then branch out?