Topic: Bliss Babies and Night Crawlers
I don't know about your town, but here, "The Craft" is now showing at our local drive-in along with that unfortunate Kelsey Grammer vehicle "Down Periscope". Which to me, pretty much says it all. Other than coming in first at the box-office the weekend it opened, due in large part to the number of Pagan types who packed the theaters (self included), this movie has come and gone without any real notice from the World at large. The fraction of the population that was supposed to take to the Forests with torches ablaze have failed to show. This is a good thing! What it HAS done however, and I really should have seen it coming, is flooded the Pagan Community with "new recruits". I had forgotten how easy we are to find these days. We, as a community, don't proselytize. Good rule in my opinion. Why don't we? Because we believe that if/when the All wants you, It sure knows where to find you and believe us, It will get your attention.
I don't have a problem with exploration and experimentation, don't get me wrong. I also have no doubt that some of the new people will have found their "home" and will stay until they cross to Summerland. All I'm saying is the community, as a whole, had better get ready 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy night. Soon we will be up to our pierced navels in self-styled High Priestesses claiming to be descended from Witches who were burned at Salem, and Shamanic one book wonders who claim to be able to change the weather, but don't have enough focus to finish their homework. Glitter flinging Bliss Babies, as well as black clad Night Crawlers, will be showing up everywhere and with each, their own set of PR problems. We are gonna hear the word "tolerance" thrown around so much this Summer that most of us will be out of it by August 7th!
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary says (in part) the following about these words:
Pagans are only Human, no matter WHAT some will try to have you believe and as Humans we have limits. Granted, some of us are much more tolerant than others. Often, tolerance is a good and productive thing. Practicing toleration in ones interactions with others is a sign of growth. However (you saw it coming didn't you?), to keep from becoming drained and/or stunted, we must accept that not everything is tolerable to everyone. Each of us must tolerate until our personal limit has been reached. Then, if we can manage it, we should calmly remove ourselves from the stressful situation. If we can't choose "flight" we must choose "fight". Nothing wrong with that. We just don't have to fight to the death over things like which direction an Altar should face.
The Bliss Babies are only a danger to themselves. They can be great to have around, very positive people and quite a few eventually find Middle Ground. They don't intentionally mean any harm. All most of them really want is to be allowed to live their lives in a semi-delusional haze of Sage smoke, where everyone gets along and you can believe everything you hear. Unfortunately, they also have a tendency to get so caught up in their bliss that they blow off everything else and leave the rest of us to pull their weight for them. They get taken advantage of in many ways and when real life happens to them (as it must) they usually fold up like a cheap cardtable. What they want life to be IS a nice dream, but as far as I can tell, (sigh) it's just that, a dream. When a Bliss Baby finally realizes that she/he has been had they are so shattered that they often end up believing in nothing. I feel badly for them (even though they didn't ask me to) because basically they are good people who have been fed bad information. Paganism works in the dark and in the light. If you can't grasp that concept you are kinda wasting your time with it.
The Night Crawlers, bless their little angst ridden souls, can be very entertaining in a "watching-someone-eat-soup-while-still-on-Novocain" kinda way. You know you shouldn't laugh but you just can't help it. Night Crawlers are easy to spot, they look like Keith Richards on a bad night, and they are only 20. Their main goal is to be very mysterious and scary. I wish I had had the guts to look like that when I was their age! My own wardrobe is mostly black and always has been. So was my Mother's come to think of it. NO! That doesn't make me a Fam Trad! Anyway, Night Crawlers are generally pretty creative and can ask the best questions. Heck, many of "us" were once "them". The only people who they can "get to" are Bliss Babies and skittish Christians. They aren't really a major PR problem either (sorry) since the majority of them are only here to freak their parents and teachers anyway, and they tend to stay within their own groups. When most of them find out that real Magick takes study, hard work AND comes with responsibilities, they just slap on their headsets and yell "Hail satan". They achieve the wanted effect and don't have to actually read anything. Most of them grow out of it and go on to become very normal adults. They suffer no more damage than at most an embarrassing homemade tattoo. Here's a tip guys, don't put them on your hands.
With all that in mind, in an attempt to save myself some stress during this Festival season, I have written the following and plan to carry copies.
Dear Newbie,
Look, I understand that we all have to start someplace and that part of being new to anything is being very intense about it, but I draw the line at outright BS dressed up like the truth. I'm funny that way. I for one, refuse to coddle the foolish on either side of the Cosmic Fence. In order to save us both some time please take a few moments to read the following, I'll wait.
I'll sit and listen to you tell me about your dreams/meditations/journeys/Totems and I won't give you a hard time about anything you tell me. All things of worth and beauty start in the imagination. What I won't smile and nod to are ridiculous material world claims and or decisions. In other words, if you are going to tell me you can bring material things back from the Astral, you'd better be able to prove it. If you believe that you can fly and insist on showing me, I will do my best to stop you from jumping off of a building or at the very least, I'll suggest that you start with a short one.
Telling me that I have to accept bad behavior from you because your Deity is "messing" with you or because there is "something" possessing you, are concepts I left behind with the Catholic Church. Playing either of these cards will win you only a quick slap with a wet fish. I also won't accept awful behavior because of "Sham-anic" drug induced whatevers. If you can't handle your drugs, don't take 'em and for Goddess sake accept that dropping acid, on the occasional weekend, in the field behind the garage with a couple of your friends, isn't a Spiritual Ritual.
When it comes to love stories, don't EVEN try using the phrase, "all acts of love and pleasure blah blah blah" to justify your poor decision making skills. I might feel sorry for you when, by breaking an oath and jumping your best friend's Husband's third satellite Wife, you cause your life to come to a screeching halt, but I won't agree that you were the wronged party.
Last and least, I can't begin to tell you how little I care what your "credentials" are, I'm not hiring you for anything after all. Tough one here, but unless you were actually BORN and RAISED in a culture, you don't belong to it, sorry. You can admire it, study it, imitate it, but, well for example, I'm not Strega just 'cause my Father's parents were from the old country.
I don't mean to be harsh, but better you know my tolerance levels now, when neither of us have invested a thing here, than later when such knowledge could lead to hurt feelings on both or either sides. This is, after all, our respective vacations.
Stay Amuzed!
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