[jordyn]

pagan living, what does it mean to you?

surely this goes beyond the typical spell casting and wearing a pentacle, what behaviors in your life are influenced by your pagan standing.

I tend to pay more attention to gardening, it's all in pots at this point(renting and apartment)but find myself choosing plants more so for their meanings and uses, rather than just being pretty.  I have a strong, concern for the earth, even my daughter knows it's not nice to throw garbage on mother nature.  i strive to stay harmonious with my surroundings, it's hard with society...but generally people are nice and make it worth the sufferings of the concret world.

It's having faith in myself and my standing as a child in the universe, knowing that there's some thread that connects us all, even those who may be opponents of my belief, those who genuinely have faith, seem to understand that.

as a pagan, i don't rule my life by any crede or three fold law, why should i need those anymore than i need a bible to know, somethings just should not be done to fellow life on this planet. but i do knock on wood, throw salt over my left shoulder and do things that help people that won't necessarily help me, i suppose karma has something to do with that...

i don't worship any god, but do believe there are many, i honor spirits that may be around, acknowledge those that are and sometimes call those who i need.  For me it's not about style, jewelery or books, but living and loving the world...even in all it's, ickiness...there's something new and beautiful to discover everyday...

that's how i live as a pagan, what does pagan living mean to you?

The word pagan has a very broad meaning. Do you take it to refer to all peoples that do not practice any of the Semitic faiths? Or merely adherants in the West that have devoted themselves to exploring the roots of thee pre-Christian religions that once dominated Europe?

[jordyn]

The word pagan has a very broad meaning. Do you take it to refer to all peoples that do not practice any of the Semitic faiths? Or merely adherants in the West that ahve devoted themslevles to exploring the roots of thee pre-Christian religions that once dominated Europe?

even more simple...

people who have more than one god...i suppose athiests sort of qualify too?

so i'll go with question number one. 

[Necropolis]

I have a compost garden, I keep trying to make a herb garden. Like Dynny for their magical and medicanl uses rather than for cooking. I like to make sure my house is both clean physically and spirutally. Mostly I think it shows in how I treat my kids and the animals and vegetation around me. My daughter is so conditioned against litter that at age three she picks up rubbish off the ground and puts it in the nearest bin.

[jordyn]

I have a compost garden, I keep trying to make a herb garden. Like Dnny for their magical and medicanl uses rather than for cooking. I like to make sure my house is both clean physically and spirutally. Mostly I think it shows in how I treat my kids and the animals and vegetation around me. My daughter is so conditioned against litter that at age three she picks up rubbish off the ground and puts it in the nearest bin.

dynny? i haven't heard that name in awhile. 

i never understood compost...mine always ends up a moldy, slimy mess...i remember my grandmother used to toss her coffee grounds and eggshells into her flower beds...she was an amazing gardner.

my daughter hugs trees, and will passionatly argue the case to keep an insect alive, ending with a wail if they end up, dead...

the hardest part for me with children, is trying not to impress my beliefs upon them, allowing them the option to choose for themselves, when they're old enough to understand the difference between spirituality and  religion.

[Necropolis]

The probelm with respecting all life means that some have to die.
My compost sits in the back corner of the lawn and it is just a pile of grass clippings and food. NOrmally you are supposed to turn it so that the worms and other Earth insects can get at it. But I don't. I leave it open to the elements so it actually decomposes quite fast. It also feeds the neighbours cats and dogs. There is also a hedgehog that hangs around it waiting for unwary food attracted by it.

[jordyn]

The probelm with respecting all life means that some have to die.
My compost sits in the back corner of the lawn and it is just a pile of grass clippings and food. NOrmally you are supposed to turn it so that the worms and other Earth insects can get at it. But I don't. I leave it open to the elements so it actually decomposes quite fast. It also feeds the neighbours cats and dogs. There is also a hedgehog that hangs around it waiting for unwary food attracted by it.

a hedgehog?! but i suppose those aren't exotic to you. 

those are supposed to be great familiars...but we tend to have skunks and raccoons around here.

any advice on growing lavender? 

I get hedgehogs in my garden. They shuffle around pretty noisily. Also, the sound of hedgehogs mating is LOUD! Seriously, it wakes me.

Breeding; Hedgehogs are ready to breed in April. If you hear loud snuffling and grunting noises at night in the garden, it may be hedgehogs mating. The male (boar) circles round the female (sow), sometimes for hours, trying to persuade her to mate. After mating, the male leaves, taking no part in rearing the young.

http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/animal_facts/hedgehog.html

See? I'm not kidding.

Edit: Just spotted this, however-

"One of the biggest rituals that they do every night is fighting. People think when they hear hedgehogs in the garden that they’re mating, but mating only takes place about twice a year. The rest of the time they’re fighting. They love to fight!
They don’t do it viciously, but they have this little hissing and spitting performance that they do, which finishes up with head-butting and pushing each other all round the garden."

[Necropolis]

"One of the biggest rituals that they do every night is fighting. People think when they hear hedgehogs in the garden that they’re mating, but mating only takes place about twice a year. The rest of the time they’re fighting. They love to fight!
They don’t do it viciously, but they have this little hissing and spitting performance that they do, which finishes up with head-butting and pushing each other all round the garden."

I hear that every so often, sometimes it sounds like cats fighting. Luckily Mr Hedgehog (which os our name for it) seems to be mostly alone in his corner of the lawn.

[jordyn]

if i knew they were that cool, i would have paid ten dollars for one of them, rather than the hamsters...

speaking of hedgehogs....

Hedgehog: Defensiveness, self-preservation, abrasive personality, possessing a solitary nature

[Necropolis]

Have you ever tried to pet a hedgehog? I have, just don't pat them the wrong way 

Anyway.  I also think it important to teach our children all the we know about how to treat nature. It is one thing not to force your beliefs onto your kids, it is another when you're not sharing with your kids what you know and believe.

[jordyn]

Have you ever tried to pet a hedgehog? I have, just don't pat them the wrong way 

Anyway.  I also think it important to teach our children all the we know about how to treat nature. It is one thing not to force your beliefs onto your kids, it is another when you're not sharing with your kids what you know and believe.

my best friend had one, for the familiar value...they didn't get along. 

Of course, but it's difficult answering some questions...either i can't think of a general enough answer, or so strong in my opinions to give a fair answer.  Besides, you've always got to consider what they'll repeat...

it may be cool to be a pagan, currently..but it's still not yet accepted, by all people.

and sometimes it seems to be growing  for the worse, due to it's popularity, i suppose it's because paganism has become a religion, and wicca is the most common of pagan religions generally known about?

[Lena]

any advice on growing lavender?

Growing Lavender

I love lavender. I haven't got any yet, but I'm planning to put a row of it along with yarrow along my fence next year. I recommend you research varieties and find one that will grow best in your climate. Generally it likes things warm and dry, and is very good for drought-prone areas. Can be killed by overwatering as easily as by underwatering.

Hedgehogs are cute. But not so cuddly.

Pagan living for me is mostly about respect. Respect for nature, yourself and other people, and different opinions. Trying to make things better in whatever way you can.

[jordyn]

any advice on growing lavender?

Growing Lavender

I love lavender. I haven't got any yet, but I'm planning to put a row of it along with yarrow along my fence next year. I recommend you research varieties and find one that will grow best in your climate. Generally it likes things warm and dry, and is very good for drought-prone areas. Can be killed by overwatering as easily as by underwatering.

Hedgehogs are cute. But not so cuddly.

Pagan living for me is mostly about respect. Respect for nature, yourself and other people, and different opinions. Trying to make things better in whatever way you can.

that's what life should be about. 

considering i'm usually undewatering plants, perhaps i'll just stick with the health food stores, it's odd...one day it'll be flourishing beautifully, the next day it's sort of...dead; lavender is definitely a challenge for me, but my aloe vera grows well, i used some on my daughter's sunburn the other day...she wanted another sunburn.