Festivals and Community

Last updated on: May 15, 2011 at 8:26 am by Crystal Blanton

Festivals and Community 2011-05-15T08:26:41-04:00 Crystal Blanton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

First I want to start with saying that I am grateful and I am lucky. I have had the pleasure of integrating into a beautiful community of various types of Pagans and have never felt as if who I was wasn’t good enough. I know that others have had to deal with feeling singled out in the crowd of Pagans because they were other than white but I haven’t. I have been lucky.

I think part of that is living in the Bay Area. Before I identified as Pagan, I was still the Black girl that didn’t “act Black”. I never really understood that, especially when I was younger. I didn’t “talk Black” or dress “Black” or even “act Black”. I remember asking what it meant to talk Black after being told that one time and the response I got back was that I talked too proper. To this day that saddens me and I have continued to hear that throughout my life.

I use to wear crystals, listen to alternative music and hang out with a multi-cultural crowd. I think I was being groomed to become a Pagan. Truth is, being born and raised on the West Coast (specifically in the Bay Area) I didn’t identify with racism and didn’t see why I had to be scared of others who were not like me. As I got older I began to understand a little more and yet still feel completely comfortable being who I am among others that don’t look like me.

So when I joined the Pagan community, I didn’t feel any different than I had before.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to the yearly Pagan Alliance Festival and Parade in Berkeley, California and had a blast. There were plenty of different races, beliefs and preferences all together in celebration of deity and one another. I was not the only Black person there and there were Hispanics, Native Americans, women, men, straight, gay, transgendered, professors, teachers, tarot readers and therapists. There were so many different types of people there that I didn’t even think about being anything other than a Pagan and a Priestess of the Gods. It was beautiful.

As I mentioned before, I know this is not always the experience of others who walk the worlds between culture and spirituality. I know that different areas around the world have different levels of acceptance and different types of people around.

I found myself wishing that all African American Pagans could have this experience of community with other Pagans. I am going to continue to hold that space for all people to find peace within their own communities, it is a wonderful feeling. As many of us have heard before, look for the commonalities and not the differences. Community should be about acknowledging the commonalities and looking at the differences as the additional spices that make us all unique and valuable.

And with that, I say I am truly blessed and lucky. I love being able to have my culture walk and my spiritual path walk along side me together.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 9, 2011

A Black Pagan: Minority within the Minorities

Next Post

May 16, 2011 Watching Deterioration of Spirit

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ancestors Culture goddess justice Magical work Natural hair Paganism parenting ritual service Spiritual Growth Uncategorized Wicca

Select a Month April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Jonathan's son, crippled as a child, whom David showed kindness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abinadab Siba Mephibosheth Jedidiah