Let's Discuss YOUR Spicy 'Hot Takes' About Paganism & Witchcraft
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- What are your thoughts on these issues? Share below.
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Intro (0:00)
The community is too woke, yet also too far-right (0:42)
It's ok to not believe in everything in mainstream "witchy" culture (3:01)
Social media makes you believe that you need all these fancy tools (4:54)
It's ok to disagree with magical associations (6:10)
A lot of our practices are being co-opted by the mainstream (7:51)
The Pagan sphere is a lonely path due to the lack of local community (10:35)
The notion of "closed practice" is being used as a gatekeeping weapon (12:53)
Witchcraft is being co-opted and turned into an "anything goes" fad (18:23)
I dislike the term “baby witch” and how popular it’s become (20:15)
Christianity had some good ideas and it’s okay to defer to them (21:17)
#pagan #witchcraft #paganism
Hope I don't accidentally get myself cancelled for this one... 😅
XD
Thanks for being brave and having the courage to discuss these things as a beginner witch some of these topics are a bit intimidating to talk about or even on my own platforms I’m afraid of saying/do something “wrong” or what and get bashed for it . So thanks so much for talking about this truly appreciate it ✨
@@livingritual1965 I agree!! It’s ok to be around others who disagree with our perspectives and opinions. It can cause good friction and challenge us to grow. if we live in an echo chamber all our lives we will be spiritually growth stunted and what fun would that be.
As long as everyone is respectful of differences. But if people are aggressive and crossing the line then definitely it’s time to just let them go and move on. Not worth it.
Handled v well and enjoy the video :)
These conversations need to happen.
I live in Missouri. We have a pagan “church” near me. It’s a 160 acre property that has been granted religious rights and titles. Oak Spirit Sanctuary.
How far from Independence?
2- 2.5 hours. They allow camping though. They have a website and they’re on Facebook. Big Beltane festival coming up too.
I’m so glad you mentioned this! I’m moving to that area this summer, and I’m glad I’ll have a place to visit!
that sounds lovely
Oh man, wouldnt it be great to organize a non profit pagan temple thingy, where you have a free/community funded library and people from different paths gather and exchange ideas...
HELLZ YEAH!!
I think the danger that people are worried about with the "closed practice" issue is taking from a culture, knowing little about it, and co-opting it. We see this with stuff like dream catchers becoming knick knacks people don't seriously, instead of genuine spiritual items. Ironically you kinda touched on it earlier in the video with how some people take from paganism because it's trendy. It has the risk of watering it down and taking it away from actual believers. If you want to learn from another culture, it's important to really put that work in to understand it and respect it
Yeah but that's not what it's supposed to mean. It's supposed to indicate that a practice involves a specific bloodline or ancestry. That term "closed practice" is absolutely scattered across the internet over ANY non-white traditional spirituality. I get not wanting to have people make traditional beliefs tacky or trendy, but claiming everything non-white is a "closed practice" is just historically inaccurate and weird
If they ever live in a haunted area or house, believe me, those will be life savers and not just symbols.
Absolutely LOVED this posting. I get really sad when I see some of these "witch folk" telling listeners how to " properly DO witchcraft ". It isn't for them to say. That being said there are practices that are historic. You need to realize that to be a part of a defined group, you need to follow their rules.
Most folk who I associate with believe in past lives and other world existences and we challenge the notion that you may not have been members of other races and societies. After all the anthropologists say we all may have a common DNA origin. Anyway, you have your own path and need to learn your own lessons. I am reminded of a person who told me she was " down with the whole witchy vibe" and then told me I was "doing it wrong". She said she knew because she had a tarot deck.
While I think you should do what you are drawn to as long as it doesn't interfere with others, buying a tarot deck makes you a witch like buying a thermometer makes you a doctor.
I have been practicing witchcraft for 46 years and a practicing pagan for 5 years. My family always said I was just weird. My family are all Abrahimic (all 3 beliefs)as well as some Eastern practices.
And they think I am weird 🧙♀️
Anyway, I digress. This posting is exactly what I search for in pagan and witch discussions rather than practice judgments. Thank you for exploring this.
Kinda weird how you can be "doing something wrong" for which there isn't even a central authority to create dogma, like with Catholicism for instance.
The whole reason why you’re the only content creator about this topic I STAYED watching is because you don’t have the over extreme „witchy aestetic”. When I see that on a channel I immediately feel disconnected and feel like the person is doing it for the good looks… I’m sorry. And honestly I havent found anyone else that knows so much about the history and the true roots, not only the “pretty practical spells”.
Girl you don’t need the looks, you got THE EDUCATION
As a witch for over 40 years..thank you for this comment! My house does look like a "practical magic" house, but not on purpose. I predate the whole internet, so it's more just a cool, old aesthetic to me. My "practice" is something I live with everyday and doing the work and research to this day. I don't fit in with the current community but I don't mind. :)
Me too
22:05
I mean, I know it's only online, but in our household we *have* been referring to Pagan Happy Hour as 'church', and Pagan Tea Time as 'Bible Study"....xP I know those big religions have a lead on us, but baby steps!
Still in the beginning of the video, but this video came at the perfect time! I discovered this past week, after considering myself pagan for a year, that I’m more interested in just being a witch and not tying myself to a religion or pagan path.
Everyone should be free to express their own opinion without fear of shunning or attack. Silencing is a tool of oppression no matter what side you are on.
I love that witchiness is trending right now. The purpose of the fruit is not to be tasty, it is only tasty to get animals to eat it and spread the seed so that it might flourish. I’m positive that someone will be enticed by the flashiness of being a witch and then go deep into it and have an enriched life.
in my experience, people who scream their way is the only way and try to silence others. whether they are on the right or the left,are realyl just insecure in their own beliefs and feel threatened by someone else being different.
I really appreciate this comment.
I started delving into witchcraft and paganism a little over a decade ago and things have definitely changed a lot since then. Access to good, reliable information is so much more available. We had limited resources to pick from back then. And paganism on CZcams wasn’t even a thing. So yeah I definitely feel that my craft and practice has flourished much more in recent years due to the popularity of witchcraft and access to fellow pagans here on CZcams. Of course there are some drawbacks to witchcraft being so popular and people will ride the trend until it is no longer trendy. But that’s ok. It shouldn’t bother me I guess.
Overall, I would take being a witch today any-day than living in a time with very limited resources and opportunities to connect with like-minded people.
@GravesRWFiA
Great point about people’s insecurities fueling the need to silence others. I would love it if we could use disagreements as opportunities for useful discussions instead of attacking others to validate our own ego’s
@forest_fae_moon
I agree! I’m absolutely excited about the sheer volume of information available today versus 10 years ago; it’s a great time now to be a witch!
I wish I could agree, but looking at what's happened with the cheapening with other cultural things, like people dressing up as native Americans for Halloween costumes, I think a lot of people get stuck on aesthetics and don't dive any deeper. I think it's actually the presentation of it as "fashionable" that makes people take it less seriously. I had an old friend who done all the crystal and astrology stuff but had no idea what paganism was and made fun of me for it! But I'm all for people finding beauty in it and I do hope that some of going more mainstream leads to more general acceptance :)
I'm not Pagan but I really enjoy your videos. I like learning about other religions. Would you ever do a video on what different religions could learn from each other?
She did a video comparing paganism vs christianity which you might find useful x basically comparing how the religions view the same topic with a different lense and stuff
Funnily enough, I was pretty goth when I startede in Wicca 4-5 years ago. So I felt like I fit right in and was happy that “witchy” aesthetics were easy to find. But it’s really been the last year where I’ve drifted away from that. I know Scarlett feels weird about Loki, but it’s really since I put witchiness aside and leaned into religiosity/paganism and started making offerings to Hel and Loki that I’ve sort of...accepted change. I find myself in a career I never imagined for myself and my tastes have changed drastically, whether that be in fashion or media. I’ve started needing more happy or calm music, media or colors around me. So, I guess I’m trying to say that while the goth edgy side of Wicca drew me in, I’m happy there are people who look like Scarlett here. Who show that we don’t have to look a certain way to be pagans or witches.
Pagan for over 20 years. As much as everyone likes to complain how there are no local events, the problem is that when organizers like myself created events,, nobody wanted to donate money, help clean up, bring a side dish to the feast, etc. It was like pulling teeth and this is why we don't have a lot of local communities that have regular consistent meeting spaces because many of you don't want to pitch in- you want to show up and have the perfect ritual, the perfect Sabbat meal, the perfect circle and then go on your merry way. Sorry, that's just not how community works. Back in the 90s we used to have phrases such as Pagan Standard Time and laugh about it, when in reality it's actually kind of embarrassing because we are basically admitting to being late, organized, irresponsible etc.
:(
Great points! I remember Pagan Standard Time aka Tell everyone to show up way early so they arrive on time
@@Merperson2222 sad. But true.
@@amandareynolds3108 yup. it adds more stress to the person who is hosting/organizing the ritual. Especially when you've rented space for a limited time, or are hosting an event in your home.
Hard to get pagans -- folks known to not want to toe any organized religion line - to be organized about their pagan faith.
Great Video!!! Personally I believe that we should have these kinds of conversations because from personal experience, the same issues we have now in the community are the same ones that were around 20 years ago when I started. It’s at the point I just start rolling my eyes now.
Hello from Norway. Just found your channel. Subscribed!
In your discussion of closed practices, I was thinking about another video you did where you described following or learning the path of the land you live on, the path of your ancestors, etc. My ancestors are predominantly European, but I live on the ancestrial land of the Iroquois Native Americans in Western New York. I live within an hour or two of 3 to 4 reservations, one is only 20 minutes away. While I have found evidence of Native American ancestory in my linage, it isn't this group of people and my family gave up any claim to that heritage. I think that if we work with the spirits of the land we find ourselves living, we need to at least acknowledge the spiritualism of the people who came before us to that land and that includes the Native Americans. I would think that by working with the land in a way that honors them, you could begin to heal the land of that trauma, of the battles fought for that land, of a group of people being forced off of ancestrial lands, of people made to give up there heritage, their beliefs and customs and language to become more "white." While many would believe its not right to take their spiriualty as your own, I'm not talking about passing one self off as Native American, but I do think honoring what was here before us, learning about their history and culture is important in honoring the land we live on now.
Hello, @danielle king,
I appreciate your comment and am your neighbour to the slight north a la NiagaraRegion.
I know your pagan/witchcraft community in western New York is well populated and active, and wonder about the community politics there, considering there are many Indigenous turtle islanders (as you mentioned as “native Americans”) as well as Africoids, mostly descendants of enslaved peoples from Africa, still greatly struggling. I find these regions, especially in Canada, to be extremely hateful, non-progressive, trapped in the past - so I wonder if you would please let me know if those populations are openly welcome into the local pagan community, covens and learning circles, stateside?
R.S.V.P.
Thank you...🧜🏽♀️
@@OakleyANDSittingBull I do not know much of the political atmosphere of any covens or witchcraft practices here. I practice alone. I live in a rural area between Rochester and buffalo, more dairy cow then people. I do not find the rural areas as tolerant about most things including religion and cultural practices, sexual orientation, etc. I do not find the rural areas to be as friendly to indigenous or minority groups in general. With the exception of the bigger cities which tend to lean more "blue" politically speaking, the rural areas of NY are more "red" to the point of not liking the fact that the cities dominate the political landscape. In the area I went to high school, there was two African American families and two native American families in the district, and no childrens of the migrant workers, although there are small groups of them around the farming areas. The divide between races as well as other marginalized groups here is large, although as more people are coming from the cities to settle in our rural areas. The younger people are more excepting of this trend, the older ones seem to feel it brings more crime. I dont feel like my rural area is all that tolerant of anything different. But other parts of the state, closer to the mountains are even less tolerant, in my opinion
Real life interaction is important. I can only put so much energy into online stuff. Why I’m basically silent on the discord now
You did a really wonderful job of handling these touchy and controversial topics. Just the fact that you are willing to put yourself out there and ask us to share those difficult topics that bother us speaks volumes. I agree with you that if we want to be an honest open and welcoming community we have to be willing to talk about some of the hot-button issues in the witchcraft and pagan community today.
Thank you Scarlet!! Like I said you did a wonderful job and you have such a beautiful soul. Blessings 🕊🧚🏻♀️🌕🐣🌸🖤
On the topic of looking different than everyone else in your group or practice, I can totally relate. Even though I like to consider myself a Nordic Pagan I do like things that maybe most Nordic Pagans wouldn’t agree with. I dress in ways and partake in things that wouldn’t be considered normal for a Nordic Pagan. I don’t consider myself to be a master of my practice or anything, but if I was I’m sure I wouldn’t get much attention on the internet either.
I’m very lucky up here in Alaska to have a local occult bookstore. I love the owner, she’s open to everyone and everything. She’s former military and police, now has an occult bookstore as her retirement job. I just hang out with her at the bookstore for a couple hours at least once a week. She’s also a foster mom and very involved with an organization that helps at risk and homeless youth. I don’t interact with too many Nordic Pagans there but I do get to talk to lots of non Christian people. And of course the owner Taylor. If you’re ever in Wasilla AK please check out Black Birch Books. To get back on topic, you’ll meet more like minded people at an occult store than in new age group events.
Darn, my hang ups weren't controversial enough. How am I supposed to feed my inner megalomaniac if I'm too darn well adjusted? I'm going off to pout!
lovely as ever ,nice to see you sarah!
Always get excited when I see that you have a new video up!
I appreciate it so much that you gave voices to all the people who shared their opinions.
It makes me even more happy that I once found your channel !
Well done Scarlet. You tackled a sensitive issue with grace and elegance.
I don’t know who would cancel you! I feel you approached all these themes/topics so well 👏 Thank you for sharing your own perspective.
There is a sense of cultural envy towards Christianity too because it’s dominant in the west, well-established and has a set structure and hierarchy that pagan communities can’t seem to agree on (with the exception of traditional Wiccan groups that get a lot of shit *because* they have a structure and hierarchy and if they don’t adhere to the new-age internet’s political stances than they’re not worth anyone’s time), hence why so many are solitary but really really crave a sense of community to just sit and commune with.
Not to mention Christianity’s cultural influence is in our language, our music and movies, and I think it pains pagans to have to admit that it influences everyone’s practices as well, with people being way too concerned about whether their practice is “watered down” by Christianity.
I’m a Hindu with many pagan friends and I see all the time pagans trying to pull practices from Hinduism and Buddhism (usually really shallow surface level stuff) but recoil from it once they realised that these two traditions have an established structure and are in fact *religions* (!!!) that they haven’t put the time in to understand properly and feel bummed out when they encounter an idea that’s outside their current, often quite stiff belief system. It’s as if it poses a threat to their (rather naive, sorry) desire for a so-called “free” spiritual practice that they can gloat is better than every other religion but in reality leaves them all feeling quite lonely, unimpressed, lazy and uninspired.
I have a great love for pagans, but you all really need to stop getting in your own way.
You should start a series, “A beginners guide to witchcraft “ and maybe talk about the pagan holidays and how they correspond with more widespread holidays like Easter and Christmas. And moon phases and what they mean and things to do during those moon phases. And other things for beginners they they may not fully know or understand yet.
She has videos and streams on most of those topics! Check out the channel and her playlists for an easier search :D
Id like to see that too.
I definitely agree about Inititiry Paths but yes as we saw when you asked it is the tendency to dumb it down rather then do the work.
Very interesting video, thank you!
While you can use virtualizations, vocalisations or meditations for any religious or magical purpose, having an implement makes it usually easier and more powerful. It's probably a psychological bias we have as humans.
I'm late to the party but I wanted to share my perspective. I'm a Norse pagan. I think you could definitely have worded your comment more strongly about that first comment with regards to how far-right chuds co-opt our religious symbols. The problem is not that the far-right is using religious symbols in a political context and that's inappropriate, it's that they're taking symbols with important spiritual resonance from an open practice which anyone can adopt, and are turning them into symbols of bigotry and hate. In my view, it's not the association with politics which is wrong (that's the least of our problems here, frankly), it's the use of the sacred in service of revolting and ontologically evil ideals. Let's not mince words in condemning racist bigots that need to be kicked out of our communities. That being said, great video.
I agree with your answer to the first comment, I left the Christian evangelical church because it was getting so entangled in politics (among MANY other reasons, but that was just the breaking point). It's like people forget that religion and politics are not the same thing. I started exploring my ancestry in heathenism and was saddened to see it mirrored exactly what I had left.
of course, people are political.
It's one thing to have separation of church and state, but you'll never separate religious people from politics.
If a person has strong convictions, those will show up in how they vote.
I'm soaring pretty high since I heard you read my comment (Christianity)! I appreciated your take on it as well and agree that community and community building (though not all-out door to door missionary work) is much needed still. My main point in posting it was to discourage the knee-jerk antipathy towards Christianity (and particularly the mythic qualities of Christ himself) found in so many novice pagans. This was a great and much needed video and I thank you for it!
So we don't need tools now? Another fluffy bunny waters down the beer. (I don't mean you, Scarlet).
It is my belief as a native American and a general witchcraft practitioner that there is magic in all religions Creed's and spirituality. As I follow and practice many different ways as I find life needs different remedies for a different moments in time to achieve one's divine right path and to complete your mission on this Earth realm. Some refer to this process of using different magic and different religions and spiritualities as a ominist.
Whenever I look up Norse paganism one of the only channels that come up is wisdom of Odin and it drives me nuts
You're so articulate!
Agree on your points!
I agree with the Christianity had some good ideas and it's okay to defer to them. We as human beings all have a fundamental pull to the divine and it's down to our own personal interpretations for how we interpret that divine and choose to worship them. I think we are all dealing with the same existential issue and just seeing and perceiving through different filters. My favourite quote is by Symmachus, "We gaze up at the same stars, the sky covers us all, the same universe encompasses us. What does it matter what practical system we adopt in our search for the truth? Not by one avenue only can we arrive at so tremendous a secret". The same applies to the ideas of closed practices. Obviously you should be respectful when incorporating a cultures practises that aren't your own but that's how cultures and religions were originally formed, by adapting another cultures traditions into your own. Without dialogue between Zoroastrianism and pre-Temple Judaism, we wouldn't have the Judaism we have today, for example. As long as it's done respectfully and with research, I don't really see the problem. Dialogue and learning from each other is key to evolving and learning, after all :)
Yes, this is the attitude I was trying to communicate with my "Unpopular Opinion", a relief to know I'm not alone!
Loved this video! I think you presented the arguments very well! At least in my community theres TWO neopag/witchy circles you can in which is absolutely awesome and crazy for as someone who's been in the closet for so long! People bring food, kids, and have ceremonies and get around and talk and make connections with each other. I guess the only point where I may disagree with you if I understood you correctly is the political aspect of this. Phyllis currot and many other brilliant lawyers have paved the way for us to be officially recognized as a religion where you can serve in the army and have it marked on your grave if you did in service. And you can't be legally discriminated against because you are neopagan which is HUGE. All this came to be because of the actions people before us took in the political sphere. In short, I think politics and fighting for political rights is actually extremely important and should be continued to keep up.
My voice is the only tool I use pretty much
Thank you good video . U really true believer
Just came across your channel. Refreshing exposition! There is nothing more destructive to authentic pagan worship and magical practice than the modern assumption that these are "counter-cultural". There's an infinite variety of non-human manifestations on the chain of being and none of them care about petty bourgeois preoccupations. Besides, preoccupation with not appearing "bourgeois" or "conformist" is the biggest bourgeoisie hang-up. Thanks for the video!
Good video
Good Deal!👍🏾😜 Great Commentary!😁❣️ The sad thing is the people that just won't pull back and see that others have their Own Path & Expiriance's..! The Ancestors didn't have anything but the world around them fo pull from.. What would One of Them do if they could have talked to others across the world of their time.?! How different would their practice be?..🤔
I wish so much of their experiences and lifestyles wouldnt have been lost to time and christians destroying everything that was pre christian.
I would like your take on how witches are still portrayed as supernatural beings in movies. The old hag with witch hat and long nose stereotype has t changed much they just made us look pretty
I just recently found your channel and subscribed. A good variety of topics here. The first one had me grinding my teeth but through no fault of yours. I am pretty apolitical by nature as I tend to think that no matter what the problem is, a true solution is not going to come from politics. Pagans and non-Pagans alike get mad at me when I say that I refuse to vote because I don’t believe in deliberately perpetuating fraud.
I never try to hinder anyone’s freedom of expression but I just take the approach of, “You guys have fun with your signs and pink hats, I’ll be at the gym.”
Of course then I get myself looked at suspiciously for walking into the YMCA wearing my Mjolnir pendant. I seem to be the proverbial Stranger in a Strange Land whether around Pagans or non-Pagans.
Be careful. You are free to wear the Mjolnir pendant because people in the past participated in politics enough to win you that freedom. Don't relax on their laurels. Where I live, religion of one brand has just won a massive victory in denying women rights to their own bodies.
@@sallycassian4494 Are you in a ‘Red State’? My understanding is that the SCOTUS basically just made it a states issue. I’ve heard people howling that they banned it but actually some of the ‘Blue States’ are talking about expanding that access. So basically Texas will continue to be Texas and California will continue to be California. I do feel bad for women in Red States though. They should not have travel to another state.
@@stevegrady5134 - bodily autonomy should not be left to the states to decide. Either you have a right to your body or you don't. Why does it have to change when you cross state lines? SCOTUS just allowed women to gain and lose rights in the same nation just for traveling. Leaving bodily autonomy decisions to the states got us slavery. Yes, I live in a red state where the local government has gerrymandered the voting districts so that conservative groups have won the high political seats and dominate the congress for over two decades now. They're now trying to determine a way to make it illegal for women to travel to other states to have abortions. They already are outlawing the mailing of the abortion pill.
@@sallycassian4494 And this is why I hate politics. These people don’t care what any of us thinks. We can’t even vote out SCOTUS. I despise them all. We have Dem majorities in both houses and a Dem POTUS and this still happened. We have to turn our backs on them all and say to Hell with them all.
@@stevegrady5134 - SCOTUS is an appointed position, which is why we can't vote them out. They can be removed from the bench for misconduct. They are still legal professionals. But all they did was extend the battle another 20-50 years. Next justices who retire or die will be replaced with a liberal ones and abortion decision will be reversed. Again.
I like to draw or paint my deities. I can't really buy any statues yet.
The first point in this video about woke/far right, as well as the gatekeeping/appropriation issue are the very reasons why I stepped away from the pagan/witch community years ago, especially online, because of the focus on practicing one's politics (whether left OR right) and calling that witchcraft or paganism or heathenry, but rarely if ever discussing actual methods of practicing heathenry or paganism or magic. Even if I agree with the person's politics, if I suggest that actual paganism be discussed instead of politics so that we can have a place to decompress from our activism and just be spiritual/religious, I'm accused of making the space "unsafe" because I don't want to hear constant pontification. I'm actually more in the closet around other pagans now than I am around Christians where I live, and I live in the AMERICAN DEEP SOUTH!!! I get judged by pagans WAY MORE than by Christians both in my area and online.
My Pagan hot take is that your room needs sound proofing ^^
I loved this though id like to reply to two of the comments you made and this is only my opinion and not meant ass any kind of attack on you as I love your channel.
There were two opinions ( the one where you said that pagans kind of lack a community feel at conventions and are more business based there. And 2 the last one where you touched on having a temple or church to go to for spiritual ceremonies every week like Christianity does) that both touch on lack of community.
As far as I know paganism has become an almost umbrella term for non Abrahamic religion, this means that there are so many different beliefs under the term that having more of a community feel is hard because of everyone's differing beliefs. Even amongst people of the same belief structure there can be differences in how we go about getting a desired result in say a money spell. And who are we to say anyone is wrong if it works for them.
I think paganism as a General community lacks any single unifying truth that all people believe to make it feel like say a Christian community.
That said I'd love to see more community feeling events if possible. It's hard to find people willing to to accept our beliefs and make pagan friends even in our pagan community as it is.
Hi so I'm just starting on my spiritual path an a little confused about the difference between an eclectic witch that work and believes in dieties and paganism?
Two terms, one concept, basically. Some people like the term "witch", some don't.
Still can get happy hour.
Did you discontinue it?
I work with fictional character who personify deity qualities. People don't like that lol
I do that with a couple Ive actually had dreams about interacting with them. I dont know if thats considered a tulpa or some spirit is taking on their personality. Mught be the real thing, who knows. No, Im not gonna say who they are, you'd laugh. But one's a sexy clown and the other an even sexier jester;)
Witches/pagans need to be more alert to psychosis and schizophrenia. I'm a practicing pagan witch, but I'm also a believer in science and psychology.
Yes and no🪄🧹🙏
Love this video. I agree with most of your points. Personally, the wokeness nearly put me off this community entirely. As someone who is neither a progressive, leftist nor liberal, I tend to feel very alienated in pagan communities in general. I try to connect with others through the things we have in common: namely, our religious practices. But when politics get to the forth of everything, we tend to clash hard. It's the reason I've been solitary for so long.
I think the point you make on closed practices is interesting bc I know I have felt side effects of it. I will be a practicing pagan for 4 years this November and there have been several times where I was afraid to research or look into certain paths bc I wasn’t sure if it was closed or not. And I do think closed practice has become a buzz word in the community.
There are no closed practices! But all of these Paths/Traditions are better in its own context and community be it Santeria, British Witchcraft or Asatru.
@@drnoir93 Not true. There ARE paths which do not welcome newcomers except by invitation. This should be respected. But no OPEN path is or should be closed to anyone who wants to practice it (and that includes people of any ethnicity or derivation).
The truth is paganism is not right or left, it takes from both
If you don’t consider yourself an expert, who is? I am always impressed by the depth and breadth of your knowledge and ability and dedication to share it.
I also feel like with open and closed practises, in real life, it is more important to actually talk to the community and see if they would allow you in or not. Regardless of race, I don't think anyone just becomes a high up member of a very specific traditional group over night and it seems pretty odd to just claim you are because your ancestors *might* have been linked to it. It reminds me of conversion to Judaism, you have to speak to a Rabbi, prove you are dedicated to the practise and study for a long period of time, not just rock up and declare you are a jew. Honestly doubt a lot of the people who are the "correct race" have that stronger links! Considering how long it's been I wouldn't assume say a white American is automatically connected to celtic or nordic pagan heritage!
Not to say you can't respect a religion or practice it all, that's maybe more complex and I don't think how most pagans view paganism! But if there is a living group with strong cultural links and specific traditions I think your only step is to actually talk to them rather than reddit.
Yeah, this is a big discussion in Paganism, or at least was a while ago.
There are some Norse Pagan groups that actually think you have to be of some "race" (a concept that didn't even exist before colonization of the world by Europe) in order to practise certain religious rituals.
That's complete BS.
I think the best argument I heard about that is that you're essentially saying that your genes are stronger than the gods. That Odin cannot speak to you if your genetics doesn't line up.
At which point, you should just worship the genetics, and some might say that they already do.
(paraphrased from Ocean Keltoi)
@@Nerobyrne interesting argument, thanks for sharing. I hadn't thought of it in that way.
@@Nerobyrne I also feel Pagans are less entitled to have much of a say over it because we haven't stayed together as a tight knit group. I mean neo pagans now vary so much in beliefs and it's already so murky with barely any solid documentation about practises that it feels really silly to me to try and gatekeep it based on race. Unless there is a small specific norse pagan community that's closed, in which case it brings it back to your argument and what I was saying in the first comment.
I think this is the fundamental thing. Closed/open practices is ultimately about giving marginalised people sovereignty over their practices. If you want to practice something that might be closed, approach that community and listen to what they have to say. And accept that answer.
Another point is the intercultural deities and spirits dont care what race you are. They see your spirit. You can learn simething from all of them, whether reading up on them or rarely when they show you something in dreams. But you still base your practice on your own race.
Well, I definitely didn’t expect my comment to be the most controversial. Lol
I guess it's because it involves politics. In USA people are really attached to ideologies (and I personally don't think that's a good thing) and fight over them a lot
haha
you should get a trophy i guess 😂🥳
I mean it is a valid point, i find myself to be annoyed about it a lot of times as well. For me my practice is strictly A political. But i guess some people cannot make a distinction between the two. Also puts centrists like me in a bit of a pickle, so i stick to the sidelines not getting involved with that shit.
Is there a difference between Pagan and Pagan witch?
Pagan is basically someone who doesn't follow mainstream religions - usually the monotheistic ones. Pagan witches are pagans who practice witchcraft. Not all pagans are witches, not all witches are pagan.
Yes! Witchcraft and paganism are separate but complement each other nicely. Paganism is following nature based religions of old and witchcraft is a separate nature based spiritual practiced
Did you ever play that Godzilla game on the Wii?............Crystal's lol
Entertainingly, I don’t find these to be particularly “controversial”…most are common sense 🤷♀️
Yeah…usually ‘hot takes’ end up being ‘opinion I want emphasize/opinion I want content creator to react to/validate’ instead of actually unpopular or controversial personal takes.
Norse volvas
Hi Scarlet. I got bullied by commentor on one your videos. I sent screen shots to you via IG direct message. Reported the user account to youtube. I got told my last name suggested I was not Welsh, and by being Pagan I had betrayed Britain!!
😳😳😳I am Welsh, but nowhere does it say you can only worship the deities of your lineage. As I mentioned, I am Welsh, but I am a Kemetist. (Worship Egyptian Deities)
Kelly, The name Brown can be traced back to the German surname of Braun...I'm merely explaining to you that your surname is British
..and that's all
@@baclamom I'm Half Russian ,but could be Finnish somewhere down my bloodline..
My path will be a combination of Finnish & Russian paganism
They said it was my surname and being pagan in any way that was their issue.
@@KiraReminiec9399 yes I understand :) I was going on my late mothers Welsh ancestry. I am Welsh by birth and Welsh speaker too.
Can you kill someone with witchcraft if you have someone's photo
I completely agree with your video's points about people's hot takes on witchcraft. I am kind of a more free spirit when it comes to Witchcraft and I also deeply respect closed practices. I think people of certain ancestries have a right to their spiritual backgrounds. No matter where you were born you have a right to be close to the deities of your ancestors of YOUR choice. I also do believe that people are not aware of the needs of a culture, like those who went through oppression. Very important that we respect the cultures that created these practices in Neo Pagansim but there's kind of a reason that Neo Paganism exists. Traditional and Neo Pagan witchcraft practices should be free to be practiced. In short: education, education, education.
These are my two hot takes... or rather my "unpopular opinions that will get me a lot of hate":
1) If you're bothered by cultural appropriation in witchcraft and paganism, then don't appropriate ANY culture that is not your own. Yes, including "white" cultures. So I'd like every culture-appropriation-obsessed witch and pagan who - for example - doesn't have alpine ancestry, to stay TF off the Krampus bandwagon, thank you very much. Coherence is the key word here.
2) No, you can't be a witch and also part of a religion that condemns witchcraft, since practicing it puts you by definition in a state of antithesis with that religion. Have the courage to pick one.
Won't give you hate! But I think there are actually a lot of people who are bothered by the cultural appropriation of witchcraft and don't appropriate any other cultures, so I don't really think thats as contradictory a position as you think. I don't really see what's controversial about not wanting people to use your symbols with deep meanings as fashion accessories too (unless it is just the hypocrisy part that you're against)
Big agree with no.2!
My bad if I've misunderstood this and you are specifically speaking to the group of hypocrites who are against pagan appropriation and do appropriate alpine traditions! It's a bit late where I am so maybe my brain is a bit dead because I can see how it can be read as that too
@@bananabrain2996 no worries, I was definitely talking about people who seem to have a double standard, where they get super triggered by cultural appropriation when it involves any culture BUT the European ones: for these people these cultures are ok to exploit because in their mind if it's european it doesn't deserve the same respect and it's basically a free buffet.
But I would also like to say that I'm not against people sincerely practicing a tradition from a different culture than their own: if it speaks to you it's fine with me. It's just the excessively "woke" double standard that bothers me.
@@Selynn. Oh I see! Yeah I 100% agree with everything you just said!
Ancestry isn't the criterion for belonging to a culture: actually being accepted by the people of that culture is.
damn i missed it 😂
there is no far right.
@@ETHANR26 oh there is, you're forgetting about that church that picketed everything. Also those who vehemently loathe the LGBT+ even when they're not even on the left.
@@ETHANR26 there definitely is a far right in paganism. The AFA being the most notable.
@@jaimieraee never even heard of it. ever thought you empower these people by giving a shit? lmao
@@ETHANR26 I am a right leaning Libertarian, but I am not far right.
HELLO THERE PAGAN IS MORE ON LEFT AND CHRISTIAN MOVING TO FAR RIGHT WITH WITCH HUNTS
I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one who feels that such a beautiful practice is cheapened daily by the so called “baby witches” which obviously is unbelievably disrespectful to those of us that don’t live in La La Land with unicorns,lollipops & rainbows up our ass. These are the terms that cause people & the norm these days to scoff at Witchcraft not to mention that now you can just play a game of spinner to “IDENTIFY “ as put blank here( ) Witch. No one cares if there are five thousand different ways to try to get people to believe you are a Witch. You don’t need to be identified in every thing you do?You’re not special no matter what Mommy told you when it comes to living this beautiful life. Either you’re a Witch or you’re not! Don’t come for me because like you I’m entitled to say what I think! Blessed Be 🔮
It's like anyone can make up anything, and if you challenge them you're discriminating, in my area our elders" pagan elders" tried to warn us of this.
Pagans werent focused on whether or not something was a closed practice back then because they were still heavily rooted in their own colonialism. We're doing better now, being more respectful, and unlearning that colonizer mindset.
"play witch" i believe every woman is a witch, and that we all should certainly play far more. i dont want to discourage out of the greed of a false sense of ownership over a connection with natural flow
Paganism is inherently traditionalist, even Christianity is modern compared to paganism.. we can't be progressive (although nothing is prohibited on the individual level)
Taking inspiration from the ancient world doed not make you traditionalist.
That's so wrong. Paganism isn't "inherently" anything. Most Pagans ARE progressive in values, and that is a good thing.
@@TheAtheopaganismChannel That's neopaganism
@@nyulbela All modern Paganism is Neopaganism. Even reconstructionism, though its practitioners generally refuse to admit it. It is not possible to recreate the cultural context of 1,000+ years ago.
@@alicev5496 Exactly.
What would you do if people went on a witch hunt again and people angry mobbing after every pagan and wiccan practitioner?
Again? In some small towns, pagans report being harassed and hounded. Some forced to leave as local law enforcement refuses to assist them.
I like the witchcraft stuff but being male I don’t feel like I’m feminine enough. I think that’s why the Norse path calls to me more. I’m a masculine man and I believe that woman have a magical touch more so then men. I’m generally speaking here but, it’s my opinion. Get your own. I had it first.
Responding to the discussion of access to closed practices and race, first I want to say that I thought your reply very cogently outlined in covering things like cultural appropriation for financial gain as well as your explanation of how more and more pagan traditions from non Eurocentric countries and cultures are spreading awareness has positively impacted society in a number of ways. Your arguments on the importance of research and learning about not only our traditions but also these other non white traditions is essential to our understanding and acceptance of others whose cultural and historical histories are so divergent from ours (again ours refers to those with mostly European ancestry and history). Where I see an issue in this discussion for us to look at is with privilege, specifically white privilege. I’m probably 20 years older than you and spent my time in public education in Title I secondary schools (low SES and largely minority groups). It’s very hard for us who we’re raised in the American public school system which is very much a national indoctrination of this myth of American Exceptionalism, wait, White American Exceptionalism. This is an uncomfortable thought for many of us that we push away because it means we have to reevaluate the things we believe that have been a part of, that we feel proud of, and enjoy celebrating. I was unable too see this early in life and only started to evolve the longer I taught and interaction with the thousands of individuals I’ve taught and worked with over the course of 22 years. But it’s only been in the last 2 years since I left public education that I’ve been able too really see this and started to REALLY understand the different ways that being of European ancestry and growing up in very homogeneous, white-American communities where what I saw happening around me in reflecting what I was taught in school, popular fiction, TV and film. “Sure, police are always helpful, and we have all these wonderful rights and freedoms because a country of both educated and non educated white men fought another group of tyrannical white men to fight for freedom of ALL MEN regardless of circumstance.” The essential roles played by women and slaves in this victory is left out. Many upset by these ideas claim that certain people should be grateful they’re alive at all because we did this for them. It’s only been through my spiritual awakening and all the knowledge I’ve gained through the witchcraft community through social media that my exposure to how this manifests in pagan spirituality has spurred me on to doing some more expansive reading. I highly suggest seeking out some of these sources ( czcams.com/channels/sgTZqGrRx-BSYKy0CKSjPg.html. Shamanic Arawak Priestess is a good place to start). So, where I see some blindness to white privilege in this discussion of the terms closed practice and how it is more like an initiatory practice leaves out an essential element. We feel uncomfortable talking about race but every time we say that race shouldn’t be important or problematic is a bit disingenuous. When we say this we are righteous in asserting that it shouldn’t be used to reject, belittle, or judge another person or group of people. We are disingenuous when we don’t acknowledge that it is indeed used that way. If we want to truly usher in an age of understanding and acceptance of diversity then we need to be aware of a deeper level of understanding way beyond surface facts and stuff easily googled or available on Wikipedia because I promise you that we cannot truly understand the effects of colonialism and slavery if we do not hear it from members of these communities. We need to read resources collated and research conducted by members of these communities and the significant impact that whitewashing history has on the challenges individuals in these communities face in a way that we cannot comprehend. Every member of these communities today are having to self actualize not only in the challenges they face in our time. Genetic memory and generational trauma significantly impact people and will continue to struggle needlessly until we are able to acknowledge and change those political, social, and economic challenges that they face that are a legacy of these traumas. If we do believe in nurturing in a more just, accepting, and beautifully diverse society then we have an obligation to listen to the people who know better than us how these issues affect them and follow their advice about how to be an effective ally to the cause. They do not need us to take over, they need us to help them with our visibility and the power of our privilege. Finally, this relates to referring to closed practices as initiatory practices, in my view this is negating the fact that Voodoo, Santeria, and Native American spirituality, etc are legacies of colonialism, slavery, and cultural genocide. The people of these traditions have created systems of worship through historical and lived experiences that reflect the culture that was stripped from them and forced to reframe through the lens of Christianity. Our ancestors had difficult challenges and was also forced to reframe through Christianity but our lived and historical experiences were so radically different that to think we can claim it as our own is wherein the true issue lies and where we can acknowledge that some religious experiences are closed. No matter how long a person of European ancestry immersed themselves in these traditions how can they be initiated into a practice where no matter what we do for as long as we live, as a white person we cannot experience their lives reality. It’s a strength to have this perspective I think I’m not only spirituality but also life. I’d like to know what you think and if you intend to further your research. Blessed be.
As a brown person please STOP VIRTUE SIGNALING WITH THIS BS POST..white guilt is a nasty disease to have 🤢
Dissemination of accurate information for the preservation of different pagan practices is essential. People believing they are pagan gatekeepers passing judgement and even worse taking insult under the guise of cultural appropriation if you dont follow their rules upon entry in a SPIRITUAL practice is worse.
The policing of cultural appropriation is actually working against itself. As many people I know and myself included have caught wind of this through many “pagan spiritual” youtubers and we are now all bypassing the associated jargon. And doing exactly on only what resonates with OUR souls based on the knowledge we individually source from a plethora of different people and synthesize our own right versus wrong, appropriate versus inappropriate. With paying my only respect to knowledge, the only police I support are those represented by the thin blue line.
Paganism at the end of the day is a spirituality anyone who tries to own it can kiss my excuse my French, behind.
The same people who live in ie scotland ireland germany etc or even here in the US and are attempting to assert themselves in this manner over celtic norse etc paganism are around the corner from us whereas we are all an eon away in literal time from the ancient peoples.
I can recall watching a pagan I believe norse youtubers video related to appropriation just to hear her out and asking myself if she believes by publishing this video she will have any actual or real authority? No one owns a spirituality period.
Dont really care about input on this comment. Its just time people on the other end of the spectrum openly put our believes on this “welcoming table” as well.
Further to get real spicy.. liberals/leftists need to back off of an ancient practice with political agendas. A pagan can support lgbqt, blm etc., Paganism is not synonymous with these agendas. Its like leftists believe they have found a safe haven in witchcraft particularly and thereby wish to symbolize the embodiment of it. Its sickening honestly. When as a conservative right winged person I would like to frequent spiritual areas without the attachment of political affiliations which are thrown in ones face.
Most often this is seen amongst liberal left baby witches who do not yet know history and are just yet tapping into wicca which was associated - not representing - feminism during the same era both feminism was rising and wicca was created in the 1900s
Keep your politics out of my spiritual beliefs, period.
Calling traditionalists and pro-Europeans the "far right" is discrimination.
Do you think none Europeans, can join European religions?
I watch most of your videos but I have to say I absolutely disagree with most of what you said in this video...........
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. John 4:1