Nature Picture - Week 1

For the rest of the year, I’m going to try to post a nature picture that I have personally taken.  When I take my camera with me, I usually stop to look around more and see the beauty in things that I would usually be too busy to even notice.

This first picture is one that I took a couple days ago.  I was sitting in my living room when I heard an extremely loud bird and I figured it had to be just outside.  When I looked, I realized it was an adorable little bird and I had to get a picture so I grabbed my camera and stealthily opened the window and got off one shot before it flew away.  It’s not the best quality, but I had to use zoom and, like I said, I only had one photo to choose from.  I think it’s a blue jay that isn’t fully grown due to the little tuft on the back of the head and it sounded just like the other ones that are always flying around here.

Intuition

The other day my girlfriend and I were going to pay rent and go to the store to get some groceries.  First, she nearly forgot to write the check and then she almost left it on the couch and then we almost forgot to go before we went to the store.  I had a fleeting thought that we shouldn’t go; maybe all these things happening was something telling me to wait until tomorrow.  I convinced myself that I was just being stupid though and on the way back we got pulled over.  The cop claimed that we weren’t wearing our seatbelts, which was completely crap.  We both always wear them and if anyone else is with us, the first thing we do is make sure they’re wearing them too, which any of my friends can attest to.  He gave us a huge hassle and starting complaining about the fact that the car is registered in Tennessee, but being driven here.  It’s my brother’s car though and we only brought it here because my girlfriend’s car keeps messing up and she couldn’t get to work without one.

After the whole ordeal, I realized that I definitely should have listened to that voice inside of my head, telling me not to go.  All these things were happening, screaming at me not to go, but I didn’t listen because I thought I was just being silly.  I don’t know if it was something inside of me or something watching over me, but either way, next time I will be listening to that little voice that’s warning me.

The Wiccan Rede

An it harm none, do what ye will.

Those eight words seem simple enough, but it was the thing that piqued my interest the most.  I’ve never understood why some people feel like other people’s business is their own.  If someone isn’t harming themselves or anyone or anything else, why do other people care what they’re doing?  I guess what I’ve always just wanted to be left alone and for people to not tell me what to do because my business is mine and not anyone else’s.  I think the first thing my friend told me about Wicca was the Rede and it put into words what my philosophy of life had always been.  I don’t tell other people how to live their life so why are they always trying to tell me how to live mine? 

                Which leads me to this: why are people always coming to my door and trying to convert me to their religion?  Nothing bugs me more than this.  Why can’t they just leave people alone?  I don’t care what religion a person is; if they’re happy then good for them.  I don’t think any religion is more right or wrong than another, but it’s all about what works for the person.  Christianity doesn’t work for me just like Wicca may not work for someone else and that’s perfectly fine.  We’re all different so why would one religion work for everyone?  I hate it when people think that just because someone believes a different way that they are automatically wrong. 

Several times a year we seem to get the Jehovah’s witnesses, Mormons, and Christians coming to our door.  Most of the time I just ignore the door and try to warn my best friend next door not to open her door either or sometimes I’ll be caught off guard and open it.  Usually I get their opening line of “Hi, I’m so and so.  What’s your name?” which is my cue say “no” and close the door.  Like I’m going to tell my name to some stranger that randomly comes up to my door.  I don’t necessarily mean to be rude, but I don’t want to stand there listening to them and I definitely don’t want some pamphlet telling me how their religion is the only correct one.

In several of the books I’ve read, it talks about how Wiccan are not supposed to proselytize and that if you find your way to religion, not because someone convinces you to, but because you find it yourself, that it’s more special and meaningful.  I feel like a lot of people go to a certain religion because everyone else believes it, which just seems empty to me.

I guess it’s just always made me angry when people try to convert people to their religion.  Leave others alone and let them find their own way; if they are meant to find it then they will.

My Background and the Beginning

Growing up, I was never a religious person; to this day I have been to church only a handful of times and most of those were when friends or family guilted me into going with them while I was visiting.  My mom grew up having to go to church every Sunday and I assume that once she got out on her own, she just stopped going.  I have memories of going to church a few times with my dad, but that was only because I wanted to spend time with him and asked if I could go.  For the majority of my life, I grew up in the Bible belt and it seemed like everyone around me was Christian, but I never really felt like I was missing anything by not being like them.  I never felt like not being religious made me a bad person or somehow less complete than the rest of them.  I’ve always tried to do the right thing; I’ve never stolen anything, I don’t lie to people, I’ve never cheated on anything...and all without being threatened every Sunday that I’ll go to hell if I do these things.

Three years ago, though, I was playing World of Warcraft and a character ran by with the name Willow.  I whispered him (at the time figuring he was a she) and said I liked their name and asked if they got it from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  He told me that, although he liked the show, he got it from his Wiccan name.  I just thought ‘oh’ and, after talking for a while, he joined my guild.  A few years ago I finally asked him about Wicca since I considered him a friend and I wanted to know more about his religion since I was unfamiliar with it.  Sure I’d heard of it since I did grow up with Buffy as my favorite show, but I knew nothing of what they believed and I knew it couldn’t be the stereotypical crap that people claim to make you afraid of it.

He seemed a bit hesitant to tell me, but he did and it intrigued me.  What he told me about it was actually what I had always thought and felt religion should be, but I never knew there was a name for it.  I asked him for recommendations on some books to read about it and the next time I got to a bookstore, I picked up Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.  It sat around forever and I eventually got The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft out of the local library and read it first.  This was a year or two ago and, after reading the book, I thought that maybe this was actually for me, which brings me to today. 

I’m still in the process of reading books on the subject and I wouldn’t exactly say I’m Wiccan, but I’m heading there.  I guess I’ve been apprehensive about the whole thing and I don’t know if it’s because of where I live and having everyone’s Christian ideas thrown at me or if it’s just because I’ve never been committed to something like religion before.  Summer break is coming though and I’ll finally have time to read the massive amount of books that I have accumulated on the subject.

My best friend is already chronicling her journey so I thought I would do the same for anyone interested in reading my experiences.  But if you are just here to tell me I’m wrong and going to hell, don’t bother.  I don’t feed the trolls and I will only delete your comments so don’t tell me how to live my life and I won’t tell you how to live yours.  All other comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome.