dragonyphoenix | Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

So my aunt posted this with the Wiccan Rede below it. I don’t know what to think of it so I’m sharing it here. Any thoughts?

I'm not fond of some of the posts someone has been posting, making fun of Christmas practices and/or Christians (but really showing her arrogance and that she believes she's more intelligent than the rest of us), but I bit my tongue until now. I don't want to be mean, I want her to THINK about how her posts must affect her family, because if she gave it any thought at all she wouldn't have posted most of it. We're all entitled to our own beliefs, and no one should be making fun of another's beliefs.

“Ever mind the Rule of Three
Three Times what thou givest returns to thee
This lesson well, thou must learn
Thee only gets what thou dost earn!”

Since I’m the only non-Christian in the family, this is directed at me although she doesn’t name me directly.

So, what have I posted this month?
44 non-holiday
25 holiday related but I can’t see how they’d be offensive (although possibly I’m wrong. Maybe she found the cthulhu tree offensive)
28 holiday songs
11 solstice / yule
1 Kwanzaa

Out of 128 posts, I’m guessing these 9 are offensive (except for the one she did comment on). What might she see as offensive (I’m guessing since she didn’t specify) and why I posted them:

Song “The Christians and the Pagans”. Yes, she’s right. This song does (lightly) bash Christians and I’m not thrilled with it for that, but I do find the family getting along despite their differences to be moving. Also I have friends who I know love the song.

An image of Santa and snowman lawn ornaments behind a wire fence which talks about the war on Christmas and internment camps. I do not see this as a Christian vs. Pagan image. Some people think there’s a “war on Christmas”. Because I completely disagree, I think the image is funny.

Santa and a demon (krampus) sitting close together and the words “Sometimes I fight my demons; sometimes we snuggle.” Krampus is traditional at Christmas in Europe. What I was thinking as I posted it was Pema Chodron talking about sharing a cookie (or cake) with your demons.

Accurate nativity play depicting real birth issues. Aunt Alice did comment on this that she found it offensive. It was late. I don’t recall why I posted it.

Linus (from the Peanuts) talking on the Pagan origins of the holiday. Okay, I guess I can see this one. I posted it because I have friends who’d enjoy it.

Comparing St. Nicholas to a Klingon (and they do look a lot alike). It’s geeky. I liked it.

Witches caroling and a family being afraid of them. The depiction of the witches and dragon is cute.

There was a fourth wiseman who was turned away for bringing fruitcake. Funny.

“We worship nature. Don’t laugh, we can prove it exists.” This was the furthest back. I didn’t even recall it until I went through my December posts. But it does seem sort of true to me. If that’s me thinking I’m more intelligent, then mea culpa.

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You're a non-Christian? I wouldn't have guessed it automatically from your posts. In fact I wouldn't have guessed at all. mostly because I haven't been paying close attention and don't remember you saying anything outright.

But you've posted more Christmas songs than just about anyone, and if you mix up Christan and pagan a bit who doesn't nowadays? Heck I'm atheist (raised catholic) and celebrate the season, "tis the season" and all that jazz.

I am confused though - you say you're the only non-Christian in the family, but your aunt is posting at a Wiccan site? Huh?

I assume that the relationship between you and your aunt is such that you can't just ask her outright (or I should say, is such that your aunt would rather post criticisms about family members online than talking to them?)

Which renders the invocation of The Rule of Three (which I know from my Wiccan period in college) a tad hypocritical. Talking about someone behind their back? RIGHT.

I'm more agnostic than anything nowadays but have been Pagan. I post all the Christmas songs because I adore Christmas tchotchke.

Oh, she posted this to Facebook, but she did include an image of the Wiccan Rede in her post.

I am planning on responding. I just wanted a wider viewpoint of the situation first. I sort of see her point. I have a cousin, Jen, who is much more conservative than I'd thought and I did freak out over a couple of her posts. It wasn't that it was conservative per se. It was the discordance between my thinking she was liberal and seeing her conservative posts. So basically I was upset because Jen didn't fit the category I'd put her in, which, granted is a stupid thing to get upset about.

I think Aunt Alice is making assumptions about why I posted what I did and that her assumptions are wrong. I hope she's wrong anyway! I may have unconsciously thought myself superior when I was younger, but I hopefully don't do that now.

You? Think yourself superior? HUH???

If anything, you seem to have the opposite tendency. Anyone who types that doesn't know you very well.

someone who "thinks themselves superior" wouldn't type "So basically I was upset because Jen didn't fit the category I'd put her in, which, granted is a stupid thing to get upset about. " because they wouldn't entain the notion that they were wrong in the first place. or they'd blame their mistakes on other people.

I'm still a little confused by the whole situation, but it sounds like there is a good bit of discord in your family?

You? Think yourself superior? HUH??? Thank you so much for that. I'm feeling so much better now.

No, we don't know each other very well. Other than two summers back, I haven't seen her in decades. There's lots of anger and not seeing each other on both sides of my family ... going back for generations based on stories I've heard.

Actually my Dad and I had that not talking thing happening some years back. My therapist pointed out that she thought I did want to be in contact with my Dad, which is true. So he and I are working on getting along to the point where it just feels like we're getting along rather than working on it. Mostly.

But aunt Alice seems to prefer my sister's company, which would be one of the reasons she's living in Michigan near my sister, and I'm okay with that. I don't know if Alice dumps these judgement attacks on Jackie but it seems unlikely because Jackie has no problem saying she wants people out of her life. If there was a rift between me and Alice (as in we weren't speaking), I don't know that I'd care enough to try and fix it.

I think what this demonstrates is that (sadly) you are better off without these folks, who sound awfully petty to me.

Try not to give them more headspace than they deserve, hon. And re: your aunt's rant, there's a reason it's called "two cents".

Have a very merry holiday whatever you celebrate, or at least a peaceful one!

Edited 2015-12-24 19:32 (UTC)

Thank you. My roommie - Jewish by birth; Pagan by choice - and are are having a holiday meal tomorrow. In the evening she's going to a dance studio she hangs at and I'll be opening presents (out-of-town, mailed gifts) and watching Hogwarts.

I hope your holiday is lovely too.

Low-key is definitely my speed lately; I think it's great that people are making their own traditions. (Some of our family get togethers were - not fun - back in the day.)

My sweetie and I will be spending the weekend together with no concrete plans except exchange little "stocking gift" (things that fit into christmas stockings we bought at goodwill after the 2013 fire. We never bothered to replace the lights, the ornaments and other stuff that got destroyed.

I kind of miss the Christmas lights though. Maybe I'll get a string by next Christmas.

For the past I don't know how many years I've been thinking I'll put up lights next year. ;-)

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

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