"Real Pagans Don't Eat Meat"
I am Wiccan and an omnivore. The Rede is an ideal to be strived for, but in an imperfect world we must remember that there are no absolutes. I do my best to eat meat from, say, kosher sources because I know the animals has been killed humanely, and I don’t eat veal because of the calf’s treatment, etc. However, realistically I am also aware that my very slim body requires meat to survive; I’d not gain enough with plants alone. And so, I eat meat and compromise where I can.
Also remember that the Rede applies to Wiccans, not pagans overall. And as for plants not suffering, I believe that at some level they have a consciousness that feels their death. It may not have a nervous system to feel physical pain, but there is trauma nonetheless. Death is part of the life cycle, and ALL feel it at some level. We must simply strive, to the best of our ability, to harm as little as possible.
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"Magickal Ethics & Personal Gain"
What's wrong with a witch using magick to get something they want? That is what witches have done for thousands of years, long before the Rede, Threefold Law or anything else came to be incorporated. It is interesting, to me, how many modern Wiccans like to claim such witches in their history and heritage, when they despise many of the very things that were practiced.
When you play both sides of the fence, trying to whitewash your beliefs and placate those who might challenge your practices, yet still seek to claim the title of "witch," you wind up pleasing no one, and are left alone in the middle.
I am Wiccan because I choose to be, because the Tradition I follow and have been initiated into makes solid, common sense. However, if it did not exist, I would likely be a non-Wiccan witch. But even though Wicca is the path I have chosen, I am astute enough to know that witchcraft is far more than the boundaries of same, and I will follow the ethics that I know to be honest and rooted in integrity based on each situation, whether they strictly adhere to modern Wiccan thought or not.
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"Mercury in Retrograde"
I don't care. Really, I don't. Maybe if you're into this idea and supposedly aware of when it occurs, how about doing something to counteract it rather than just inflicting your mood on the rest of us? It just seems like the latest fad excuse for being obnoxious and out of sorts, and not doing anything about it. And yes, I know this attitude will piss some people off. But you can always attribute it to Mercury in retrograde!
I am Wiccan and an omnivore. The Rede is an ideal to be strived for, but in an imperfect world we must remember that there are no absolutes. I do my best to eat meat from, say, kosher sources because I know the animals has been killed humanely, and I don’t eat veal because of the calf’s treatment, etc. However, realistically I am also aware that my very slim body requires meat to survive; I’d not gain enough with plants alone. And so, I eat meat and compromise where I can.
Also remember that the Rede applies to Wiccans, not pagans overall. And as for plants not suffering, I believe that at some level they have a consciousness that feels their death. It may not have a nervous system to feel physical pain, but there is trauma nonetheless. Death is part of the life cycle, and ALL feel it at some level. We must simply strive, to the best of our ability, to harm as little as possible.
_________________
"Magickal Ethics & Personal Gain"
What's wrong with a witch using magick to get something they want? That is what witches have done for thousands of years, long before the Rede, Threefold Law or anything else came to be incorporated. It is interesting, to me, how many modern Wiccans like to claim such witches in their history and heritage, when they despise many of the very things that were practiced.
When you play both sides of the fence, trying to whitewash your beliefs and placate those who might challenge your practices, yet still seek to claim the title of "witch," you wind up pleasing no one, and are left alone in the middle.
I am Wiccan because I choose to be, because the Tradition I follow and have been initiated into makes solid, common sense. However, if it did not exist, I would likely be a non-Wiccan witch. But even though Wicca is the path I have chosen, I am astute enough to know that witchcraft is far more than the boundaries of same, and I will follow the ethics that I know to be honest and rooted in integrity based on each situation, whether they strictly adhere to modern Wiccan thought or not.
_________________
"Mercury in Retrograde"
I don't care. Really, I don't. Maybe if you're into this idea and supposedly aware of when it occurs, how about doing something to counteract it rather than just inflicting your mood on the rest of us? It just seems like the latest fad excuse for being obnoxious and out of sorts, and not doing anything about it. And yes, I know this attitude will piss some people off. But you can always attribute it to Mercury in retrograde!