Teens Breeding Love

By Melissa Fae

Time passes. It flows, like water, and slips through our fingers. We find ourselves looking down and staring at our hands, wondering where it went. Where did the young years go, when you were at knee height? When 'challenging other's belief systems' meant telling them you said 'Bloody Mary' in the school bathroom mirror and nothing appeared. When, no matter what religion you belonged to, you could talk, if only to complain about having to sit through some sort of worship.

It's almost funny, how the look of shock on their faces mirrors what happens to certain people when I tell them I'm a Witch. Actually, I used to say Wiccan, but they never understood what I meant, and explaining over and over gets tedious. I have a friend or two who says “Wiccan, ” and just doesn't explain what the term means. Partially obscured in the broom closet, while I am most decidedly... not.

I am proud of my religion. I have no qualms about that initial horror. Time always passes, and the times have changed. It is my constitutional right to be clear about my religion, wear that pentacle on my neck, and say “Goddess” instead of “God.” We are living in a country where we can do this freely, and although I respect the decisions of all broom closeted Witches, I would feel like a personal failure if I didn't parade proudly through my school halls.

I wear my pentacle around my neck, and talk about it frequently. I wish people happy Beltaine in the halls. When the subject of religion comes up in discussions, I take the role of the occultist every time. It's not to say that I worry. Being the sole voice of a religion is rather daunting; especially one so branched and varied. And us teens are so impressionable. If I say the wrong thing, they get it stuck in their heads. I have to set a good example, which is annoying sometimes, due to my love of... well, breaking the rules.

I'm sure I've had it easy. My father quite frankly doesn't understand it, but he's never understood me in general, so there's nothing new there. My mother also doesn't quite understand, but they both tolerate it, and help fund my spell cupboard.

Most of my friends are fine with it; in fact, I seem to have collected a mostly Pagan posse. Most of them are also quite open with their beliefs. I've got a chiromancer, a shaman, several other beginning Wiccans, and a variety of other beliefs I have no name for besides vaguely Pagan and polytheistic.

Many Wiccans and Pagans of my age stay in the broom closet because of social issues. Who wants to be the outcast? Or the one locked in a legal battle with the school over the pentacle you would like to wear? (You may have noticed by now, I've picked up the irritating habit of asking rhetorical questions.)

But the real question is, why should being Pagan or Wiccan mean 'social death?' Although the number of educated teenagers is rising, it still makes me cringe to read stories of the ones who came out of the broom closet only to find rejection and scorn.

The teen movement is about more than just our faith! I believe there is more to this New Age of teens than just us messing around, or hiding until we're adults and can handle the rejection. Imagine the next generation of people growing up educated about these faiths, and not being scared. Imagine a president who dances around the maypole. Or performs the first televised handfasting with his Druidic wife. Or her Druidic husband. Or maybe they're lesbians, or gay!

There are many, many teen Pagans, although I live in a huge city, I'm sure there are others elsewhere. Knowledge multiplies, people pass things on. If I set one person straight today, they might set 3 people straight tomorrow. Teen networking is amazing, isn't it? I know I'm not the only one. There are more of us than the statistics can count, or guess at. I proudly explain and educate those in my school walls, and whether just my teachings make a difference, I can't be quite sure.

Join me, teens, in taking back America! Its values have been tainted for too long. The New Age is warming up, getting ready to go. I'm not trying to force you to come out of the broom closet if they're some ironclad reason you can't. But for the ones who are just afraid of being rejected, I say, this is not just about us!!

I have felt the sting of rejection and hate many times, but every time has been worth it, because for every person who let my words slide off, someone let them in. Us teens are more open then we tend to believe.

We have a chance to take, history to make! Every year, more people closer to our age are expelled into society. Eventually, we shall be the old ones, the last ones in America of our wave. For every person we teach tolerance now, there could be 5 children whom they teach the same values! As teens, we shut our ears to the things adults say, unfortunately.

Do you know anyone who hasn't zoned out whilst their parents lecture? Our chance is now, while we're young, while things aren't set in stone for your peers.

I'm quite sure 99% of teens, or even adults, who read this, will brush my words aside. But it is worth the one person who decides to make a difference. The one teen that helps spread the love. Because every person counts. I'm not saying convert them. I'm saying, teach them love. Because if they're one thing any Pagan has learned, is that hate breeds hate.

Stop the hate. Educate.
And Blessed Be.

Comments

[Hayley]

Goodness, I even used to wear my pentagram to my Christian school. I was the representative pagan and continue to be since I switched schools to a public, bigger educational facility. I proudly say that I'm a witch (even though sometimes I sweeten the term with "pagan" for example, for my boyfriend's family).
I'm sick of having people make witch jokes at me, telling me that I need to go to Hogwarts. If everyone could be educated on this, it would make it a whole lot better for us. But, then again, that would take a long time.
You must realize that many of this country believe in a God who does not accept this religion. The truth is, many people are bigots who don't want to compromise their beliefs to learn the beliefs of others. It will be a long time before this movement you plan can actually work.

[Charlie]

Melissa, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your article here. Thank you so much for speaking out! I am probably OLD by your standards (32), but I am not brushing your words aside. I think you have that wrong... 99% of *conservatives* will brush your words aside. Don't judge the rest of us, LOL!

Anyway, this was well-written and heartfelt, and I'm so glad to see you getting your message out there. I sincerely hope that you are considering publishing again both here and elsewhere to spread your message of love and tolerance.

[Blaque]

Ohkay, you're only talking about yourself and basically not even what you're meaning to. I've read two of your articles and you seem like your a hoax. Get better with your stories, man.