Lost in Translation… or maybe not

Last updated on: October 4, 2011 at 6:24 am by Crystal Blanton

Lost in Translation… or maybe not 2011-10-04T06:24:06-04:00 Crystal Blanton

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How do you find the right words to describe the delicate fusion between who you are, who you have become and who you want to be? I think that most people are in a dance with themselves in finding out the answers to those very questions. Sometimes being a Black, Woman, Wiccan High Priestess feels like I am doing the jig to the DJ spinning techno and country music simultaneously.

I waddled my way through my teen years as a alternative chick who hung out with a bunch of multi-racial, alternative kids. I stumbled into the professional world as someone who was not all the way professional and yet much more than a beginner. I found myself as a mother and a wife at a young age, deciding what it now meant to live among a family as a mother in my early 20’s. I glided into my spiritual studies and found my way to the Priestesshood of the Gods and writing for others. And now I find that I am looking in the reflection of the mirror; the eyes of a black woman staring back at me with a pentacle on my neck.

What I have come to understand through all of this is the role that people do and will play in the continued development of the Pagan community. I didn’t initially see myself as anything other than another priestess and I still don’t. I do see that my perspective on things, as a Black woman and a Wiccan High Priestess, is very distinctive. I have come to understand that about myself and what that really means about the path that I am on.

Sometimes visions and actions get lost in translation, they are not understood in ways that we would like for them to be. Whenever race is involved in discussions or a dynamic it feels like a lost in translation moment, and the influx in the community is pushing this to happen more frequently. I have had three moments this week, within the Pagan community, where comments have been made that are racially flaming, unjust, disrespectful or downright ignorant. Does this mean we are not progressing in our ability to show to the world the darker face of Pagans and there is no progress in understanding? I feel it to be quite the opposite.

I have heard such great feedback from the community about Daughters of Eve and it is humbling to know that this forum is so monumental and important for the writers and the readers. The more we have conversations, the more diversity we see, the more stories we share and the more inclusive we are with one another increases our capacity for learning to be more humble within our connections.

I want to give a special thanks to everyone who continues to read this blog, shares it with their friends and sends positive energy towards loving one another for who and what we are. Not only do I feel like we are growing a community together, I also feel like this is helping me to find my own voice and represent with pride.

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