Ocean reflects over the past six months and shares her thoughts about blogging, the creation of Deaf Pagan Crossroads, and the various posts she has written:
It seems like just yesterday that I was joining the Deaf Blogosphere and putting up my first post here at Deaf Pagan Crossroads.
That first post, Out of the Broom Closet was put up on this site on November 15th, 2006.
Six months and 76 posts later, it’s hard to believe that I have actually come this far in such a short period of time.
I won’t lie, folks. When I began this blog, I wondered what the heck I was getting myself into. To begin with, I am not a computer expert by any means. I don’t have all that technical savvy to know what I’m doing… basically I type what I want to say in the box where I’m supposed to, click the buttons that the program tells me to, and then I pray.
So far it seems to have worked. Not that it hasn’t been without its trials and tribulations. I’m thankful to all the folks along the way who gave me tips on how to make this dang thing do what I want it to. I’m also thankful that I live alone and thus nobody had to witness my frequent temper tantrums when the program wouldn’t do what I wanted it to. There was many a time I was tempted to pitch this oversized paperweight out the window… or at the very least, click the “delete blog” button and say the hell with it!
But I hung in there, and I’m glad I did. I’ve met a lot of really great people in the Blogosphere – both deaf and hearing, Pagan and Christian, young and old, black and white, straight and gay, male and female, signing and non-signing… well, you get the idea.
This site was created to be a crossroads… and I like to think that it has succeeded in that goal. As I explain in my Welcome page, a crossroads can be defined as an intersection; a place where two or more roads meet; a place where different cultures meet. Indeed, that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads aspires to be…an intersection of Deafness and Paganism…a place where these two roads can meet and merger…a place where different cultures can come together to meet and learn about one another. I think Joey Baer said it nicely in his comment to my post about Meeting Between the Worlds:
Hi all,
I finally found a time to read the “interview”. It fits your blog title nicely – Crossroads. It is like we continue to learn new things daily when we cross different Deaf people’s roads. I felt I am better person today because of you and many others. Thank you!
Over the months, I have tried to balance out my posts to reflect my thoughts on – as I say in my blog header – Deafhood, Paganism, and Life in general. It isn’t always easy, but I like to think that I’ve been able to provide a little something for everyone. Some of my posts appeal more to a Deaf audience, others to a Pagan audience. Nevertheless, regardless of the topic, I try to interject a little bit of myself into each and every one of them.
Some of my posts have discussed issues of accessibility – the importance of interpreting services (Providing Interpreters and Three Bars of Soap and a Massage), captioning of on-line videos (How to Caption Your Videos and Project readOn), and video relay services (Love, Dating, and Deaf Dads). Others focused on sign language (A Pagan Blessing in ASL, Blessings to Carl, and The Sign and the Music). And I’ve tried to share a little bit about Deaf Culture (Thoughts on Through Deaf Eyes, amongst others).
Some of my posts focused on Pagan Spirituality (Defining Paganism, Prayer for the Earth, The Spiral Goddess) as well as discussing the merger of one’s identity as a Deaf person with the spiritual path of a Pagan (On Being Deaf and Pagan and To Capitalize or Not to Capitalize ). I’ve also tried to be a resource for other Deaf Pagans (Finding Deaf Pagans and Deaf-Friendly Pagan Events).
I’ve introduced readers to the joys of drinking mead (Got Mead?) and eating jelly beans (The Bean and I). I’ve made people nervous when I describe walking on red-hot coals via my firewalking posts (Why We Walk on Fire) and comforted them with a prayer for peace (An Irish Blessing).
Some of my posts were written by guest bloggers – Yvonne Aburrow (Signing From a Hearing Perspective), Wolf Wind (The Ritual of Battering), and Crystal Dolphin, whose post on her thoughts about the PBS program “Through Deaf Eyes” (A Hearing Person’s View of Through Deaf Eyes) was a finalist in the DeafRead “Through Deaf Eyes” Blogging Contest.
Many of my posts include photographs, and some of them feature the work of Crossroads visitor Robin, which you can find in a number of my Pagan posts (Picturing Paganism, as well as some of the ones mentioned above.)
But regardless of what rambling thoughts I share through my writings here at the Crossroads, I am forever grateful to my readers – for their comments, for their encouragement, and for their support. You’ve played a key role in making Deaf Pagan Crossroads what it is today, and for that I thank you.
I also want to take a moment to thank DeafRead.com for including Deaf Pagan Crossroads on its list of blogs, thus giving me the opportunity to reach out to more members of the Deaf Community; and to Pagan Theologies for including me on their list of blogs to equally reach out to the Pagan Community. Please be sure to check out these two fine sites.
In addition, I also thank the individuals who have added me to their blogroll – too many to list them all, but you know who you are!
Pops a bottle of homemade mead and fills up glasses to hand out to everyone…
It’s been a great six months. Here’s to the next six.
Cheers!
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!
Deaf Pagan Crossroads 
This has become one of my favorite blogs, for a couple of reasons:
First it isn’t afraid to take a honest look at some of the issues that impact the Deaf Community and discuss them in an intelligent manner.
Secondly, I have learned a lot about Paganism and what being a Pagan really means by reading some of the posts here and also visiting some of the Pagan blogs and websites.
Last, but not least…I enjoy reading the posts here because frankly, Ocean – you’re one of the best damn writers I have ever seen!
Congrats on six months, and keep on blogging!
Trust Osh to always have a bottle of mead ready for any celebration! 😀
Here’s looking at ya, kid… and keep up the good work.
Cheers, Osh! I’m glad we managed to stumble upon each other in this big old blogosphere. 🙂
I’ve learned a lot by reading your posts. Here’s to many more!
Congrats on your first 6 months! Now that you are a blog pro, I look forward to the next 6 months. And of course, further beyond that!
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!
By the mile, lifes a trial
By the yard, life is hard.
But, by the inch life’s a cinch!
Just hang in there one day at a time, and it’s surprising how the time can fly. Congrats for sure.
I am so glad you didn’t press that delete button. I have enjoyed your blogs that are thought provoking and intriguing.
Pah! You made it past six months and you made me realize that I did so too as I started in November. Funny cuz I did find myself the same boat being doubtful about this blogging thing since a friend of mine during the early stage thought it was waste of time to blog. But as times go by, I have discovered the light the same as you.
Oh yes, like Journey said.. I added my words in the ( )..
Workin’ hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice (type the keyboard)
Just one more time
Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to sing (sign) the blues
Oh, the movie (deafread) never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard (deaf blogosphere)
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlights (bloglights), people
Livin’ just to find emotion
Hidin’, somewhere in the night
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to the feelin’
Streetlights (bloglights), people
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on
Streetlights, people
That’s a really cool song, Barb! I didn’t know it before, but I really like the lyrics… and it does describe well the feeling of being a blogger in the Deaf Blogosphere!
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers to ya back. I’ve enjoyed gettting to know you.
🙂
I didn’t doubt this would take off into something fantastic, just look who created it!! BIG HUGS.
It’s a good blog, well done. I’ve been blogging for 4 years – since 21 March, 2003.
That was awesome, Barb DiGi!! Now you got me singing Pearl Jam’s cover song, “Crazy Mary”!!!
Congrats, Ocean…but I’m gonna post this song! 😀
Crazy Mary
She lived on a curve in the road, in an old tar-paper shack
On the south side of the town, on the wrong side of the tracks
Sometimes on the way into town we’d say:
“Mama, can we stop and give her a ride?”
Sometimes we did but her hands flew from her side
Wild eyed, crazy Mary
Down along the road, past the Parson’s place
The old blue car we used to race
Little country store with a sign tacked to the side
Said “No L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G allowed”
Underneath that sign always congregated quite a crowd
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
One night thunder cracked mercy backed outside her windowsill
Dreamed I was flying high above the trees, over the hills
Looked down into the house of Mary
Bare bulb blown, newspaper-covered walls, and Mary rising up above it all
Next morning on the way into town
Saw some skid marks, and followed them around
Over the curve,through the fields, into the house of Mary
That WHAT you fear the most, could meet you halfway
That WHAT you fear the most, could meet you halfway
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
😀 😉
*passes on the bottle to next commentator*
ROFL 😀
Actually, this looks a lot like what happens at a Pagan gathering…
At night we will build a fire, people sit in a circle around it, a couple of folks will bring out their drums and we start getting a good beat going, others will get up and start dancing around the fire, and then someone opens a bottle of mead and passes it around for everyone to enjoy, and it’s just a fun way to spend the night!
Okay, who wants the next swallow? 😉
*sip
(I’m at work.. LOL)
Congratulations, Osh! I really do enjoy your writings…
You are a pathfinder….your narriative is deep, funny, heartful…your path entertaining, enlightening and damn you are just plain good at it
::raises a glass::
Here’s to another 6 months.
Brightest blessings
Mama Kelly