I think there are many reasons why people choose the Pagan Path…
For some, it is an opportunity to put their faith into a cause that is truly important to them, be it feminism, ecology, democracy, diversity, or whatever.
For others, it’s a form of escapism – getting away from rules, rigidity, authority, dogma, anarchy, patriarchy, etc.
Some like the idea of going back to the “olde ways”…of practicing the faith of their ancestors, of following traditions that have been handed down over time.
Many find that traveling the Pagan Path lights an “inner spark” within them…they feel a sense of acceptance, of belonging. They find within the Craft a sense of themselves that they could not find anywhere else.
So which of these describes my reason for becoming a Pagan? Any and all of the above. I became a Pagan because I was called to it…by the spirits of my ancestors; by the spirits of the Air, the Fire, the Water, and the Earth; by the spirits of the Lady and the Lord. In my humble opinion, one does not seek the Path…rather, the Path seeks you.
All of us are called to the Path, but only those with sensitivity, understanding, appreciation for the laws of nature, a sense of connection to the world around them, courage, energy, a bit of risk and daring, and the willingness to plunge into the wilderness of our souls without a road map will actually take up the journey. And what a journey it can be!
It is not a journey without its trials and tribulations, without its sorrows and sacrifices. Yours truly has been blown off her feet by the tornados, burned by the flames, drenched in the floods, and weathered many an earthquake over the years! The spirits are not always kind, but they are always wise.
Being here in Deaf Pagan Crossroads is a part of my personal journey…a very important and integral part of the Path. To be able to share my identity as a Deaf person and my spirituality as a Pagan with others who might be able to understand and appreciate my perceptions of such is indeed a true gift from the Goddess.
My hope is that we can all use our little “crossroads” as a place where we can come for love and understanding, for nurturance and acceptance, for guidance and support, for knowledge and wisdom, for friendship and trust. A place where we can share laughter and tears, joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. A place where we can be serious one moment, and silly the next.
I hope that you will come to visit often, and benefit from being here. Each of us has much that we can teach, as well as learn. Don’t be afraid to share what you have experienced on your own journey…the lessons learned as you travel your own path. Share your thoughts! Ask your questions! Post your comments, and join in the discussions of the various blogs presented here.
Being of the Pagan Path is not for the weak of heart, or the weak of spirit. As a good witch friend of mine once said, “witchcraft is not a religion of the lazy!” If you want a religion that will hand over all the answers on a silver platter, then Paganism might not be for you. The Path demands a lot from us, but it does give much in return.
But remember…you can’t receive if you don’t first send out.
Bright Blessings,
“Ocean”
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!
I really enjoyed this artical. Guess I am not alone in my feelings about what happened to me too and why I became a pagan. It wasn’t a choice for me. I was called to it. It was in me and a part of my being all along. Guess I chose it but how could I not choose it. I couldn’t go through life anymore not choosing it. It was calling and calling and calling until finally at age 29 here I am saying Hello to it and embracing it as a real thing. Now I am walking side by side with it. The spirits that were guiding me.
Thank you for your kind words…bright blessings, and welcome to the Crossroads!
Hello:
Please email me offlist about a project that you might be interested in; your blog doesn’t list your email address. Thanks ever so much!
RL
Hi Ocean!
My name is Ryan Harris – I’m producing a new documentary for the Discovery Channel on the archaeology of Medieval Poland. Since our dig site has it’s roots in an old Pagan site, I have been doing a lot of research into the topic in hopes of adding a segment of the influence Pagan history has had on both Poland and the world. In this segment, we may even have a firewalking segment! I actually spoke to Tolly Burkan who has been incredibly helpful and has pointed me to his colleagues in Europe. When I came across your website, I lit up, because it seems that you are very familiar with the subject we are pursuing! If you are interested in corresponding, I’d love to learn any knowledge you can pass along to me about firewalking and Pagan history. Feel free to contact me any time and I’ll be happy to tell you a little more about our show as well!
Warm regards,
Ryan Harris
Segment Producer
Discovery Channel / GRB Entertainment
Ocean… wow! Discovery Channel’s segment producer contacted you… kudos!
Hi i like your web site.
Ocean, I just came across to your blog website…my friend sent me this. I found this very interesting! I just read your article. I didn’t know who I was for bout 33 or 34 years til one day I had the intuitive feeling, telling me to look up and do research online. So, I did until I came up a website page, called “Wicca”…I didn’t know what this word meant…so I read it on and discover, to my surprise, this is the religion that is most suitable to me. I became overjoy that I had found this religion that fit me very well. Years later, some of my pagan friends told me I was not a “self-made” witch but I was born a witch. I was impressed and I couldn’t believe it what they told me. I remember when I was a teenager, I grew up on a campground (500 acres), one night I didn’t need a flashlight when walking down the country, dusty road. So, while I was walking down the dusty road, there was a full moon up in the sky, shining on my way as I walk on, something in my intuitive kept telling me to look up at the “moon” I looked up and had no idea what the moon meant, so I continued to walk on….then again my intuitive tell me to look it up again…still had no idea why it kept telling me to look up at the moon. Years later when I first discovered “Wicca” I looked back to what I had remembered looking at the moon when I was a teenager…then I realized why it kept telling me to look up to the moon. Moon is related to “Wicca” thing…such as magick in contact with the power of the moon, and so on.
Wow, I’m impressed to hear that the producer of Discovery Channel had contacted you! I’m glad to hear that! I do hope you will do it for Discovery Channel!
Debbie
hello brothers and sisters,
I am currently an Deaf Pagan … I believe those beautiful Spirits everywhere, Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and The spirit of Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun. I serve them everyday and I was discovered by my best friend, Kent Bickford, Himself as Deaf Wizard … He has been studying Pagans, Wiccans, Everything related to Earth Religion … He told me that I am lord of the dragons, It hits me really hard so I picked it all up myself by mediciating … Found out that I am really Lord of ICE dragons and the Gatekeeper (have the keys to it) of Ice Treasure where all of Beautiful Clear Jewels is at. I haven’t Seen it but I felt the calling so I am so glad that I found this by using Search Engine ASK.com … Deaf Wiccans but it come up with this one which really approve us … is there any way that I can get Newsletter or whatever? if so email me the info 🙂
May the Guardian of Elements Protect you.
Gabriel Estep
I wish to clarify…
Deaf Pagan Crossroads is NOT an on-line community. It is a blog site owned and operated by ONE individual – Ocean. Yes, there are many people who do comment here, and occasionally different people do write guest blogs for this site. But if you are here because you are expecting that this is an internet group where you will meet many other Deaf Pagans, please be aware that this is not really the case. Yes, you might be others here, but you will not get their email address, etc. like you might with an internet group. Some individuals do link to their own blog sites, some do not.
Deaf Pagan Crossroads is basically where Ocean shares her thoughts and writings about Deafhood, Paganism, etc. You are free to leave comments at any time and share your own thoughts, etc.
There is no newsletter, no group rituals, no group discussions, etc. If you are interested in getting more involved with Paganism, Wicca, etc. you are encouraged to contact Ocean privately via email for further information.
“For others, it’s a form of escapism – getting away from rules, rigidity, authority, dogma, anarchy, patriarchy, etc.”
since anarchy is a political system without external authority or rather the complete lack of a political system. Sp I have no idea why one would include it in what one must suppose is a list of words with an undelying universality. while Dogma is another red herrign since dogma literaly means mystery and since somthing whcih is mesterious is rarley ridgged this reader fails to understand how that term belongs whith the others.
Hi Gentle Spirit,
Could anyone tell me where can I join the
Deaf Pagan Subscribe on my email?
I love read Deaf Pagan…
Blessed Be,
Jackie
Very interesting Blog site. Continue your venue. We are all truly on a devine search and I will pray your continued peace!
Love this post! You got my support and I hope you feel empowered to keep on being true to yourself and getting your message out there. Even non-pagans like myself can benefit a lot from your words.
J
I love that you say the Pagan path calls you, not the other way around. It is true beyond words. When I was young my love of nature brought me into Paganism, and at the time my Mother feared the idea of it. Now nearly 10 years later she has come to realize all that she taught my brother and I has been true to Paganism all along. She brought me to Paganism without her even knowing, and now I am watching her read and study in the way I began at 12. It is a path that not all can truly follow. It is not for the lazy or the faint of heart!! 🙂 that’s for sure!!
I stumbled across your site searching for a picture of a baby kildeer, and I am so grateful I found you! Thank you for being able to portray Paganism in a beautiful light!!
my name is lark. i am deaf teenager wicca. but i was not sure which i will be pagan or wicca, witch.. i don’t know. i still loved any spirits in the world. i love to read your blogs. It is totally of interesting. i was happy to heard about this. i was not one deaf pagans as more deaf pagan.
I just found your site and just have to say I love it!
While I’m not Deaf, I’m extremely fluent in ASL. My BF is HOH and her husband is Deaf. My BF is extremely interested in and curious about what I do. I feel as if that the spiritual path I walk calls to her as well. I have to agree that the path does call to you. As a child I loved to be outside and I didn’t have to be playing to enjoy it. Just being out on majestic earth thrilled me.
Do you have deaf pagans festival events?
I am not aware of any Pagan events which are exclusively for Deaf attendees.
I do know there are Pagan events which have provided sign language interpreters – such as PantheaCon in CA, Heartland Pagan Festival in KS, and Ecumenicon in MD.
I suggest you work with your local Pagan Community to see about providing access to local events. Then go to the Deaf Community and encourage a few people to attend.
What a lovely site. Still visiting and reading. Thank you for sharing some great information 🙂
Merry meet all. I am hearing and an interpreter. my wife is deaf and I have been involved in the deaf community for several years. A friend of mine posted this on my FB and I just had to check it out. Most of the deaf in my area are very close minded when it comes to paganism or just uneducated of what it is. I would just like to say that I love this site and would love to be able help in anyway I can for interpreting things for deaf pagans. And would love the opportunity to help educate those around us about the deaf and their culture. maybe I could help get something together that would be a united pagan interpreters for the deaf! Haha
I was so blessed to meet you at the pagan festivial love yor site.
I was equally blessed to meet you and your sisters. Glad to see you here at the Crossroads. Let’s keep in touch and make plans to get together soon!
Hi Ocean! I am an Interpreting Student in Southern Illinois. I am also Pagan. My circle has been interested in using signs for ritual but it’s been very hard to get the information from the internet. After stumbeling across your blog, I thought it would be great to get in contact with you. I saw that you had lived at the Kentucky Indiana border. Is this still true? If so I would love for you to come to one of our WomenBEing open group. If you are on facebook i can add you to the group. I look forward to seeing your response!
Sincerely,
Sabra (say-bra) Blumhorst (bloom-hors-t)
Hi Sabra!
Yes, I’m still in the area. In fact, my hometown is actually Evansville, Indiana and I do come back to E’ville about once a month to visit. I now live in Louisville, KY. I’d be happy to come and visit your group, but it will have to wait until November at the earliest – I just bought a house and am in the midst of moving, and then I will be gone for two weeks on vacation. But let’s keep in touch…I would love to meet you and the others of WomenBEing.
Blessings,
Ocean
HI Ocean,
How can I talk with you in private?
Gwen
My email address is listed in the sidebar of this blog.
I’m a pagan friendly interpreter that can travel for jobs.
Happy to find another deaf pagan like me!
Keep in touch.
Hi, Ocean! I believe that Spirit World lead me to Pagan Path. I feel this is right path for me!
I feel so connected to Goddess of Nature (Mother Earth), I guess I am Nature person. I love Nature and worship Nature! 🙂
I am still study and learning, and write my own blog here on WordPress. For me, I feel more happiness, freedom, free of those Christian rules.
I am ex-Christian, and become Pagan since June 17th, 2013. My family is strongly Christian, but I won’t let them stop me from being Pagan! 🙂
I have my own altar to worship Nature, BUT I am asking myself, am I Nature Witch? I’ll find out when time is right! 🙂 Love your blog! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if you had any information on the lost Pagan Goddess day of reverence January 6th , The day of Epiphany?
First of all…I am left to wonder how much of this is a genuine question, and how much of it is a bogus attempt to get your own website recognized by putting its link up here. If you had taken the time to read my “Notice to Commenters” on the side here, you would see where I don’t support commercial sites posting comments here.
I do an annual Twelve Days of Christmas series of posts, which include the final day, which is Epiphany. I am not aware of a Pagan Goddess Day of Reverence being January 6th. Epiphany is NOT a Pagan celebration. Certain Pagan Paths may have their own attributes to the Twelve Days of Christmas (which actually are the twelve days AFTER Christmas, not leading up to it…the days between the birth of Christ and Epiphany). John and Caitlin Matthews have done this in their beautiful book “The Winter Solstice.”
I do talk about Epiphany in my Yule series which you can find in the categories, and also in my Twelve Days of Christmas series, which you can find in the December and January months in the archives.
I found your homepage and was surprised – because I never expected a pagan information homepage connected with a deaf creator. Thank you for your words.
I am a member of the Anglo-Saxon Northern Tradition and based in Vienna, Austria, and I am deaf too. Your words give me strenght that there are deaf pagans around the world I never had the chance to meet.
I wish you a successful continuing of the homepage and I hope to hear more news!
I just happened come across your page and I’m just same as you for almost 60 yrs. I am losing more as I get older that an Aide does not help like it used too ,But you that’s alright with me I use my inner senses like i always have, So i just need to say its Great to be here and know that there are other Hearing Impaired Pagans & Wiccans.Blessed Be
Thank you Ocean for your Pagan Welcome article.
Yes, I do plan on coming to this website often.
BB
Thunderspider