Witch, Please.

Here are the things I don't care about:

I don't care what the name of your religion is.
I don't care what the names of your gods are. 
I don't care how old your religion is.
I don't care if your great-great-whatever grandmother passed down your famtrad Book of Shadows under the watchful eye of the Inquisition.
I don't care if an entire civilization worshipped your Goddess for ten thousand years.
I don't care if you made Her up based on manga or Tolkien or a dream you had.
I don't care where you place your altar.
I don't care which direction you call Earth.
I don't care how psychic you are.
I don't care if you're smarter than me.
I don't care why you eat meat, or don't.
I don't care how many shields you think you need.
I don't care how your childhood trauma made you a powerful magickian.
I don't care if you spell "magic" with a k.
I don't care if you were an Atlantean Magus in your last life.
I don't care if you're brand-spanking new.
I don't care how much you hate Christians.
I don't care how many degrees you have.
I don't care if people call you "Lady" or "Lord."
I don't care if you're King of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat.
I don't care if you can read minds or light candles with your breath.
I don't care how the world owes you a living.
I don't care if you've been studying the Craft for thirty years or thirty minutes.
I don't care what your totem animal is, especially if it's a wolf, raven, or unicorn.
I don't care if you can trace your lineage back to Gardner.
I don't care if you think I'm a moron, fraud, or basket case.
I don't care how many books you've read.
I don't care how much or how little money you have.

What do I care about?

I care that your religion has made you a kinder, more compassionate person.
I care that you can hold down a job.
I care that you're growing past whatever happened to you as a child or last year.
I care that your gods help you become stronger without coddling you.
I care that you are willing and able to adapt and change as your life does.
I care that you care about the Earth.
I care that you care about someone and something outside yourself.
I care that you practice your religion with devotion and reverence.
I care that you respect others' paths.
I care that you never stop learning.
I care that you can conduct adult relationships with respect and understanding.
I care that you get how hilarious life is.
I care that you know when to ask for help.
I care that you realize that someone will always be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you.
I care that you realize it doesn't matter, because tomorrow you'll be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you were yesterday.
I care that you have reasons for everything you do, even if those reasons are purely intuitive.
I care that you can admit when you're wrong.
I care that you know you're both a tiny speck in a vast universe and a rare, precious jewel in the darkened sky.
I care that you're making a difference.
I care that you know when to speak and when to shut the hell up.
I care that you are seeking a relationship with Deity and with Nature.
I care that you are healthy.
I care that you're contributing to your family and community.
I care that your capacity for love and joy increase with every passing year.
I care that you believe in yourself.
I care that you're doing the best you can.

Comments

[DCO]

thanks so much... I quoted you on my humble blog...

http://ubnotorious.blogspot.com/

[Andrewpaulk]

I am a Muslim however i sorta think like u...... still gray areas about the so called here-after though ......u r the closest thing to what I do believe please e-mail me with more details on your belief system and how i can learn more...thanks!

[Anu Faerydae]

Someone linked me to this, and while I'm a couple years late with a reply I just wanted to say I absolutely love it. I'm very much discovering my "path" right now, and it's refreshing to see someone not questioning bloodlines, etc.

I added your blog (your new one) to my favorites. :)

[Petrus Laredes]

Yes, but the problem is that many of us enjoy being juvenile, egoic, fluffy, and delusional. I do myself. So please don't take that away from us. If you do, I really don't know how we'll cope.

[Iveta Andromeda Woodová]

So very beautifully stated! Thank you for articulating what I feel.

[James Gordon]

I agree completely with the spirit of this post, and mostly with the letter.

My one niggling complaint would be the "holding down a job" bit. With the labor market being what it is (and not likely to get better any time soon) I'm inclined to give people a bit of slack when it comes to employment. Plenty of smart, capable, socially-adjusted people can't hold down a job, through fault of their own.

Of course, there are plenty of people who couldn't hold down a job even in times of economic prosperity, which I'm pretty sure is who you were referring to.