From: hz225wu@unidui.uni-duisburg.de (Micaela Pantke)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: What the hell to do for Solstice
Followup-To: alt.pagan
Date: 15 Dec 1992 10:21:38 +0100
Organization: University of Duisburg
Reply-To: hz225wu@unidui.UUCP (Micaela "Stayka" Pantke)
NNTP-Posting-Host: unidui.uni-duisburg.de

Hi there - Stayka is here!

George Paap <george_paap@email.sps.mot.com> writes:
GP> I know my parents would probably be not be able to "deal"
GP> with my change in beliefs (they're not really that religious,
GP> in an absolute sense, but they would certainly be concerned
GP> about my ticked to heaven).  

Oh yeah, that's something I also encountered very amusedly...
My mother is an atheist (though she's paper-protestantic - I mean, 
she doesn't bother about any religious stuff but she also didn't 
care  to leave the Christian Church formally) and my father is an
acquired Protestantic Christ (he's Christian because everybody
'normal' ;-I around also is Christian - it just has to be this
way...). Well, and both of them were rather shocked when I 
renounced being Christian and left the 'holy' Church...

ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson) writes:
CH> My greatest trouble with my mother (my father is long dead), is that
CH> she thinks I should lie about my opinions, just to make other people
CH> believe that I am "normal". Well, as normal as a 26 year old with a
CH> younger man and no children and being an artist and having half a
CH> university degree in CS and plays roleplaying games can get. )

Ay, I think, my parents finally got over it, although they did 
scold me for leaving the church  ("What shall the other people say!" 
and crap like that. They mostly feared the opinions of our relatives,
neighbours etc).  

Well, at least they NEVER thought I was really 'normal' - how could 
they...? I'm a die hard SF&F-Fan, talk about weird beliefs (mine are 
not Wiccan - although I know several Wiccans - my beliefs are ALIEN!  
>|-] ), well, and I usually don't dress as it would befit a woman of 
28 years of age - at least in the eyes of my parents...) and so on...

Huh, but I'm sure, I'm just as normal as everyone else of us 
'weirdos'! (N'est-ce pas, Ceci...?) 

Well, my parents would like me to BEHAVE 'normal' - but in my opinion 
a constant flow of drops of water washes away even a mountain. They 
just got used to my strange person over the years.

When I'm talking to others, though, I always state my opinions very
openly, for I think if someone doesn't like to talk to me because of
my beliefs - well, that's his/her/its loss, not mine. 

fry@cc.swarthmore.edu (Phyllis Fry) writes:
PF> But, you may make it that much easier for the next person who has to
PF> face this choice and you may move pagan culture a little more out of 
PF> the darkness. 

I also think like that. You have to show the others that you don't 
want to impose a threat to their beliefs, but wish to live your life
as you want to. 

When I like to dance around trees and over meadows with my sisters, 
then we simply will do it, no matter what others might think. We
just think it's natural to live our beliefs, because for example 
Christians, Moslems and so one live on their beliefs as well. I
would never scorn a Christian/Moslem/Jew/whatelse for practising
their kind of worship, but on the other hand I would like believers
of other religions or followers of other philosophies to respect my
view of the things-that-are.

I don't think my belief is the stone of wisdom, or the ultimate 
truth, but as long as it is something I honestly believe in, it 
is a way to let my mind and soul grow.

On winter solstice I'll think of you all on alt.pagan!
(Nice, fond, warming thoughts in the darkest night of the year!)

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Micaela "Stayka" Pantke  | 
Westhoffstrasse 111      |         Keep your dreams alive...
W-4200 Oberhausen 11     |         - and live your dreams!
Germany                  | 
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Newsgroups: alt.pagan