Flashes of Insight

How Far Out of the Broom Closet and into the Streets

Part of my “outness” is just me being me and if that helps another to be themselves more then part of my job is done whether as a witch,a lesbian,a feminist,,whatever closet you inhabit, I suggest that you feel around for ways to be more comfortable,more you whatever that is, , to test those boundaries and expand them and bust out as much as is comfortable and then in time push a little further.

My job is being a Priestess and that for me is my full time job which includes Divination, Astrology, Sacred Stones, Vibrational Healing,Animal Communication, teaching playing music and on and on so I am fortunate to love all that I do and not need to occupy a closet for any of these things.

Of course at times I have paid a price for my freedom and this was my choice to make.

A few years ago I purchased a bumper sticker in Calif which was a Pentacle surrounded by the word CLERGY! I felt as though I had finally found my personal sticker…however as out as I am, it took me a year to put it on my car knowing that I do after all live in the South and to not only post one’s Paganism but Clergy status no less does admittedly take some ovaries. Having collected my ovaries for the situation I posted my bumper sticker feeling I could be ready to handle what would possibly come.

For the most part, if anyone was bothered they didn’t say until one day I had the “pleasure” to pull into a fundie driveway for another reason and boy did it fly.Thing is when one has that kind of a bumper sticker,you can’t easily feign ignorance about much of anything. I am letting my freak flag fly as it were.

Many years ago, I had a radio show on WRUF which for awhile , I jokingly called dial a witch as I did free readings on the air. After awhile, I could see that being a totally out witch did not help my career as a psychic /astrologer because somefolks had a hard enough time justifying coming to me so when at least once a year around now when the press would drag the witch out to ask the same sorry questions about Wicca and Devil worship etc etc, I started calling myself an Authority on Witchcraft to distance myself to all who might be wary and for those who knew the way to become an authority is to BE A WITCH they got the joke. So as OUT as I am there are times that I do reel it in for safety and economics…but not a whole hell of a lot.

Sadly, our Pagan Culture is one of the few, while honoring our elders, doesn’t really make it a practice to care for them the way that the Native Americans and Africans do, built right in to their traditions. As I age I am aware of this and actually meant to speak about it last night.

This really is a most Shamanic life that I lead and it is not for everyone but it is for me. If we were all living more on the barter and gifting system and all my needs were met I would be happy to do my work for free but as it is I trade a lot for things that I really need and we are all for the most part dealing w/ Patriarchal Bushinista Economics.

Anyway rule number one ,as they used to say back in the day,is survival, and we all must make our peace with and find our way to do just that and if at times we feel the pressure of the closet door cramping our behinds then find a way to dance and give that door a nudge so ya got more room to move.ok

I wish that I could say that being an out Dianic Witch didn’t bring down some heat from Trad Pagans but in many cases, it does.

Mostly the big problem is that some men and male identified women see Dianics as a bunch of man-hating lezzies. Fortunately this is not the only opinion but we as Dianics have yet to get the good paying gigs at the larger Festivals and the respect and acceptance either.
The thing is that seperate Woemn’s and Men’s Spiritual Societies have existed since time immemorial in Tribal cultures and at times both groups worked together.

Dianic Wicca is not some New Age Lesbian plot to do away with men, it is a way for those who prefer to work specifically with an all female group to do so for the good of ALL.

Part of the problem in mixed pagan groups is that many men who seek power in the group dominate and or a certain type of woman then supresses her own needs and defers to the male. Sometimes this deferring by women is even the bigger problem even among nice men who are not about domination.

That D and D paradigm is too prevalent in our hetrosexist,patriararchal, woman hating society for it not to show up in our groups.

Some of this behavior is changing but I still get major flack because I produce The Wise Woman’s Festival each year for all women.Too many make assumptions about who I am and so banging down the doors of yet another closet inside the Broom Closet is necessary for clarity and understanding.

BB Flash