In response to poster #1...
First of all it isn't Wicca or Paganism that is making your friends want to wear black and get tattoos and stuff, as
you put it. Nor is it 'stupid'. Yes, many people, many teenagers who don't bother doing their research dabble and 'think' they
are wiccan because they do all these spells and things... It's a real problem for both Pagans and non alike. The thing about
Paganism is that you need to do your research yourself, find out where it originates, delve into history and always check your
facts. It isn't something you should just blindly accept someone's word on. That's what bothers me about most people now who
call themselves Wiccan or Pagan, they just take whatever someone tells them as blind-faced truth without doing their research
on it, thus we've got a lot of false information and in some cases dangerous information out there on the net.
The kind of Wiccan you are referring to is known as a 'fluffbunny' I never understood the term until recently, now I know
and am glad of that. Knowledge is power as they say but here is a helpful link you may want to give your friends who are
supposedly Wiccan. I can't see the "Why Wiccans Suck" page, but this one is helpful to ANYONE, any Pagan or Wiccan alike. It
has some good points, not all that I agree on [such as the mixing pantheons is a bad thing] and such but here, have a good long
read.
http://davensjournal.com/index.htm?WMaF.xhtml&2
Before I knew any better I 'dabbled' myself back in HS when I was 13-15 range. I was stupid, ignorant and well of
course naive. I had a rough experience back then with the occult in general but nowadays things are worse. There are people
using the promise of being initiated into Wicca as a way to draw naive, ignorant girls into sex acts and the like. It's
deplorable and despicable but it happens. It's why, for anyone, no matter the age, who wants to be serious about being a Pagan
or learning the path... they need to research, always research, find your sources, confirm your own beliefs and thoughts, dont'
just go blindly or you'll be adding to the problem rather than the solution. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt and
question it, ask for resources or books of where the info comes from.
Please don't propagate this problem further, help to resolve it. Many teens dabble, only a few are 'real' so to speak.
I have a couple of younger friends, age 15 or thereabouts. One is doing her research and following through with all of it, not
one of those 'fluff bunny types' the other I know wants to learn but he just won't do it, he takes what his best friend says,
knowing a lot of it is BS about the craft, but doesn't attempt to stop it nor learn for himself. It's sad really...
I think I've said more than enough to say my peace and i hope it helps any who wander across this article at a later
time. I know that we will need to adapt and deal with the new generations attempting to learn Paganism and Wicca, even if they
are way off the mark, but they'll learn for themselves through mistakes and true mentors, sooner or later or drop it completely
when they realize how silly they are being. A few will realize and learn the truths, but all we can do is be patient and try
and help with our knowledge.
One final note, above there I put a comment about 'dangerous information' out there. If you refer to the "What Makes a
Fluff Bunny" article you'll see a good one on herbs...
Love, Light and Blessings to All,
~Adaria
