Meeting Persephone

It's always amused me that Pagans are accused of taking the "easy path". We are told that we aren't willing to do the "work" it takes to be Christian and so we opt for the "easy road" of Paganism.

Most of us that are now on a Pagan path actually started off in Christianity. Some of us were nominal Christians, attending services perhaps once or twice a year if ever but very comfortable professing a belief and wearing a cross. Others were more steeped in Christian traditions and dogma and still managed to leave for a variety of reasons that only we know. And even others were Christian because "everyone else we knew were" and while the faith never quite fit, we tried to cram ourselves into it, learn as much as we could, and eventually educated ourselves right out of being Christian. Sometimes it has been not an emotional choice to leave Christianity (i.e. - that big god is a meanie and I don't like him) but a logical deduction reached after years of study, research, communication, and thought. It just doesn't ring true and as THE true path, if it no longer rings true, some of us are more than happy to leave it and find the path that rings true for us.

But is it the easy path? When living in a country where the majority of people are of one faith, albeit many denominations, choosing to live outside of that faith can hardly be described as "easy". To be condemned for our differences at every turn, proselytized to on our own front porch, cornered at shopping malls, ostracized at school, and even sometimes isolated from family is certainly not the "easy" path.

Nor is living a Pagan path easy itself. I happen to be of an earth path. To keep my awareness of my impact on this world and the impact of my family is to be ever mindful of everything we do. In a capitalist Christian society that takes without thought because they "own" it, to remain mindful and spend the extra money doing the opposite and what is right for the world is not "easy". To search out organic farmers and products, to purchase reusable items when cheap alternatives are available for "free", to feel the flow of the world around us with the constant interruption of smells, sounds, and obstruction to view is not "easy. To wear a symbol on our person as a declaration of belief and then be pushed behind in a line, ignored completely, or grabbed by one of the masses is not "easy". To be promised by suppliers of sacred objects that our purchased items will arrive in unmarked packages for our safety is not "easy". To attend a public ritual knowing that the possibility is there that others will arrive to proselytize or threaten is not "easy". To attempt a private ritual in our own yard where neighbors might see is not "easy". It's also not "easy" to wake up in the morning and find your home has been vandalized by those who don't understand nor care to understand.

Christianity has learned to see the word "occult" as an evil term describing evil people of evil belief. When really one of the definitions of the word itself is "hidden". Something being hidden does not make it evil. But knowing that sometimes being hidden is necessary for safety isn't "easy" in this country that supposedly embraces "freedom of religion" (as long as it's the "right" religion).

So why not just give up and join (or re-join) the masses? You know, the really "hard" work: praying (if we remember to), going to church services (if we want), tithing (if we want), reading the bible (if we want to) and most importantly and the really really "hard" work - saying we believe in Jesus.

Because that would be "EASY".