Recently I have begun corresponding with a Deaf family who has been studying about Paganism and undertaking their own spiritual journey down the Pagan Path. Both the wife and husband are Deaf, and they have three Deaf children.Together, the family has been begun celebrating the Wheel of the Year and eight Sabbats. I recently shared [...]
Archive for the ‘Deaf/Pagan Relations’ Category
A Deaf Imbolc Ritual
Posted in Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Art & Literature, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Hearing Relations, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Equal Communication Access, Irish/Celtic, Magick, Paganism, Poetry/Prose, Ritual, Sabbats, Sign Language, Spirituality, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday February 2 2012 | 2 Comments »
A Winter Solstice Ritual
Posted in Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Deaf/Hearing Relations, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Equal Communication Access, Interpreting, Paganism, Ritual, Sabbats, Sign Language, Spirituality, The Yule Series, witchcraft on Wednesday December 21 2011 | 1 Comment »
photo by johnivara SpiritWolf steps forward and in voice and sign calls all the members to the Circle: The wheel of the year turns on taking us from season to season one to the next. Life and time moving endlessly, it is as it will be, without beginning or end. And so it has brought [...]
Putting Down Roots
Posted in Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Beasts and Animals, Deaf/Hearing Relations, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Eco-Psychology, Empowerment, Nature, Paganism, Spirituality, Universal Issues, Women on Thursday September 29 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Earlier this year I wrote a post here at the Crossroads about “year words”…words which set the theme for what your year is going to be, what your focus will be. I chose the word “roots.” To me it felt like the proper word, since I was beginning a journey in 2011 to explore my [...]
Helping vs. Controlling
Posted in Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Deaf/Hearing Relations, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Empowerment, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women, Women's Spirituality on Wednesday September 14 2011 | 2 Comments »
Continuing my theme of “help”… I now discuss the issue of helping someone as opposed to just taking over and controlling everything for them. This is a subject that many deaf and hard of hearing people know all too well – “do-gooders” who might have the best of intentions and who truly believe they are [...]
September 11th Healing Ritual
Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Healing, Magick, Paganism, Ritual, Spirituality on Friday September 9 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is the ritual that Ocean and the Clan conducted in September of 2001, shortly after the events of September 11th, as our special healing for ourselves, for the victims of these horrendous attacks, and for the world itself… Carrying a long, white taper in a silver spiral candlestick, Michelle steps forward to the altar, [...]
The Fifth Sacred Thing
Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Art & Literature, Cinema, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Earth Day, Eco-Psychology, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Healing, Magick, Nature, Paganism, Spirituality, Universal Issues, Video Posts, witchcraft, Women, Women's Spirituality on Saturday August 20 2011 | 1 Comment »
This is the first of a couple of blogs Deaf Pagan Crossroads will be posting about The Fifth Sacred Thing movie project – an effort by well know Pagan teacher, leader, and author Starhawk to bring her book to the silver screen. Several of these blogs will include videos created by Starhawk and her team. [...]
The Pagan Community and Deaf Access
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | 7 Comments »
(photo showing sculpture of the sign “relationship/connect”) As my Crossroads readers know, this blog is my attempt to merge my identity as a Deaf person with my Pagan spirituality. Some of my posts focus on Deaf issues, some of my posts focus on Pagan issues. And some of them focus on both. That merger of [...]
Pagan Deaf Access Letter part one – “Clarifying the Laws”
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | 1 Comment »
(graphic showing sign language pictures for “law obey must you”) Greetings Ocean, We are writing you in hopes of giving you a better understanding about our organization and how our event and community work. That’s not the issue here. You keep trying to divert away from the real issue by making irrelevant arguments about how [...]
Pagan Deaf Access Letter part two – “Who Knows Best?”
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | 2 Comments »
(graphic showing a person’s head with a tree and roots growing in the brain area) As previously explained to you, our event exists because of the VOLUNTEER support of the participants – not in spite of them. Please, we encourage and support and welcome and invite you to work with us in coordinating and establishing [...]
Pagan Deaf Access Letter part three – “Demanding or Advocating?”
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | Leave a Comment »
(photo of the ASL sign for “advocate”) On its face, you appear to make demands for your needs without considering the sacrifices others similarly situated have made in coming to our event to assist in creating such spaces/activities/micro-communities. You would rather have others do for you, when you seem to be ideally the individual who could [...]
Pagan Deaf Access Letter part four – “Damaging, Demanding…or just Deaf?”
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | 2 Comments »
(photo of a woman’s face with an angry demanding expression, pointing a finger out) We ask that you not try to damage our event for what it is. At this point in time, the gathering cannot happen any other way than we’ve described above. You must know that Pagan communities, organizations, churches across the country [...]
Pagan Deaf Access Letter part five – “We Love You but…”
Posted in Archives #1 Deafness and Accessibility, Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Broom Closet, Creating Accessibility, Deaf/Pagan Relations, Deafness, Empowerment, Equal Communication Access, Ethics, Interpreting, Paganism, Sign Language, Spirituality, Universal Issues, witchcraft, Women's Spirituality on Thursday May 19 2011 | 8 Comments »
(photo showing hands bending together to make a heart, framing an ocean sunset) Finally, Ocean, we send you: an invitation to work with us for our event next year, as we have described above; acceptance of who you are as a Pagan and as a member and spokesperson for/on behalf of the Deaf Community; energy [...]
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MEET OCEAN
Ocean is the creator & manager of this blog. Born deaf into an all-hearing family, she was raised oral and attended hearing schools. Ocean began learning sign language at the ripe old age of 16, and after meeting a Deaf man began her own journey through Deafhood. She graduated from Gallaudet College (now University), and has held positions both within & outside of the field of Deaf Services.
Ocean has been a practicing Pagan for 30 years, and considers herself "an eclectic witch," with a primary focus on Celtic Spirituality, but an interest in many different areas. A skilled tarot reader, she once donated her services to help raise funds for a Domestic Violence agency. She has also done workshops on aromatherapy, herbalism, & Paganism for the Deaf Community.
As a passionate advocate, Ocean often speaks out on the need for greater access for Deaf people (Pagan or otherwise) - interpreters, captioned videos, CART, etc...and works to build bridges between the Deaf & Hearing communities.
She lives not far from her hometown on the banks of the Ohio River with her two cats, Karma & Gandalf.
To contact Ocean,
you may email her at oshginva@gmail.comMAKING CONNECTIONS
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
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