What do YOU say when asked about your Pentacle?

[~niamh_x~]

OK-- the Pentacle part was for effect, but it DID happen to me last week at work. What I really want to know is: what do you say when someone asks about Paganism? I always think I'm prepared, but when push comes to shove and someone asks me what it's about, I say something like "Ummm... ahhh.... Goddess, God, um.. Nature......... Wicca is to Paganism as Catholics are to Christianity... ahhhh..."

I'm wondering if anyone has summarized their explanations to others. If i had a half hour with a patient person, I could get the message through. But as it turns out, most want the briefing. I mean, I know what I'm talking about, but don't talk very well about what I know. You know??

I'm thinking a 3-4 liner would be useful. Any feedback?


BB all!
-Niamh :)

[Radocs]

I don't tell 'em anything if I'm asked... and I'm very very rarely asked.

[Tammy Sullivan]

Direct them to the local library and recommend a book, might be the easiest way.

[Old Witch]

To tell the truth, hardly anyone has ever asked......And I wear it out and dangling Pentacle earrings........

[Flar's Freyja]

I've been wearing a rather large one that has rounded points. It looks more like a celtic knot and no one has asked although I've been complimented *shrugs*

People seem to notice more when I wear my rune pendants and I just explain those for what they are.

[Demeter]

I get asked every so often - I'm very much out of the broomcloset, wear my pentacle ring every day, pentacle necklace often.

First I say I'm Wiccan. Their reaction to that will tell me what else I need to tell them. Once I got someone who started babbling on about "Wiccablackmagic" (all one word, the way she pronounced it). I did a gentle explanation that black magic had nothing to do with it, and steered her to the Wiccan bookstore in the mall.

Another time I did a brief explanation of Wicca as being a non-Christian religion that sees the divine as Male and Female, and working with the powers of nature, and then steered the young lady to the Wiccan bookstore in the mall.

Once I got into an hour-and-a-half long conversation, and steered the young lady, not to the Wiccan bookstore at the mall (because we were at a science-fiction convention), but to the dealer's room booth that sold tarot decks and Wicca 101 books.

I can't say that I've had any bad experiences so far. (Worst that's happened is somebody saw our Pagan Power bumpersticker and left a Chick tract on our car ....)

[Flar's Freyja]

I'm sorry, I didn't read your question thoroughly enough the first time. Again, I am rarely asked, but my answer would be that I follow an earth-based spiritual practice and we recognize the Divine in everything and everyone.

[Raevyn]

'I practice a religion based on nature, unity, and equality of men and women. I feel everyone is divine and I try to create harmony around me and for others. I study different world beliefs, theology and philosophy, and various myths and cultures.'

Actually I often just call myself a tree huggin' hippy lol :D

[Gwion]

It means that I am a Witch. Now that you know, I suppose I shall have to kill you.

[SnowStar]

I've been asked a few times by people who honestly had no idea as to what it symbolised at all (or some who may have thought they knew but thought they ought to get a second opinion from someone who actually donned one) and I told them that the points of the star are symbolic of how the five elements - earth, air, fire, water, and spirit - are interconnected and are all a part of this world, hence the circle around it, and since there is one point facing upwards instead of two, that it affirms that you place matters of the spirit above matters of the material world, which are symbolized by the lower 4 points.

After explaining it in this way, I even had someone say to me, "I like that symbolism...any idea where I could find one?"
You don't even have to being Paganism into it at all...

[Witchy Cowgirl]

I got a shot at explaining my relgion to a very close friend this past Sunday moring. I was kinda nervous about it cause I figured she react negatively. But she didn't.
As far as my pentacle, well, I've been trying to decide what I'd say. But I like Snowstar answer of just telling about the symbolism. I don't know how many folks I know that would actually relate it to Paganism or Witchcraft. I did tell Hubby though that I'd decided to tell folks that I've got a friend who thinks shes a Witch and she gave it to me for Halloween. It's the truth - I am my own friend!:razz: :D and I actually gave it to myself for Samhain, but then I'd have to explain that too.:T

[Konstantine]

Hehe, where do you guys find cool pentacle earrings and other accessories? Call me sheltered but I've never come across any nice accessories with pagan symbolism.

[MammaStar]

Originally posted by Raevyn

Actually I often just call myself a tree huggin' hippy lol :D

HEY you stole my line! :lol:

I'm rarely asked too. Sometimes I think those that judge should MAYBE ask...but that's a whole different issue.

I was asked at once at work and gave the above response. Seemed to satisfy my co-worker and had a beer. :lol:

wasn't much help was. :rolleyes:

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Originally posted by Konstantine
Hehe, where do you guys find cool pentacle earrings and other accessories? Call me sheltered but I've never come across any nice accessories with pagan symbolism.
I found mine at a local "Witch Store".
You can search on-line too.
There was a thread somewhere around here that had some sites.
But I got no idea where it is now.

[Gwion]

One word: Ebay.com

[Tammy Sullivan]

ebay dot com
that's three words!:p

[Amemphis]

I have some really pretty pentacle items. My favorite is my pentacle of Venus, which I ordered online. My earings and ring I got from Spencers

[Armitage]

Try this response. 'It's a necklace.'
:D

[Saphra]

When asked about Paganism, I just say "It's pretty much a nature based religion, we celebrate life and the God/Goddess. It has nothing to do with Satan"

[Konstantine]

Ebay? Shucks, I'm not really into online shopping. :( But my friend promised to take me to Salem with her when she goes there over Thanksgiving vacation, and I've been told there are plenty of cool "witch stores" there. Thanx anyways!

[Old Witch]

Spencers always has lots of nice items........and they are all over the place....I seem to remermber they once had a catalog .....don't know if they still do..........

[shnen]

Originally posted by Gwion
It means that I am a Witch. Now that you know, I suppose I shall have to kill you.

or at the very least turn you into a frog... ;)

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Originally posted by Armitage
Try this response. 'It's a necklace.'
:D

8O I like that answer!

[SimplyStrange]

The other day my best friend's mother asked me about it, and her evil stepdad was sitting right next to her (that guy is SUCH a jerk) and after she asked me about it he blurts out "It's for WITCHES"... and I just looked at him, looked back to her mother and I said "well, the easiest way to explain it is Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Spirit... they're all equal, they all have their own points. Think of it as a balance between the spirit and nature.Are you familiar with Daoism? Yin and Yang. It's a balance."

And of course her stepdork has to blurt out "Yin and Yang wasn't a balance!!! It was good and evil!" We all just stared at him blankly, and I said "Yes, they're both equal. Balanced..."

Of course, this is the guy who when he sees writing on my arm one day says to me "You know, a couple centuries back, like in 1867 or something there was this thing invented called 'paper'. Try using it sometime." And I just stared at him and almost laughed at him... 1867??? Paper?? What the hell was the Constitution written on!?

I guess my repsonse depends on how I think the person is going to react. If they're just NOT going to understand or accept it, I don't bother and tuck it in my shirt and say "oh it's just a little necklace my friend bought me" ...

Anyway... there's my story... *runs away*

[Emaleth]

I don't mind explaining anything to people who honestly don't know and want to find out. When my mom asked me about my pentacle I told her everything about the balance, the elements, the spirit and the Divine.

But when a person seeing a pentacle already thinks s/he knows what it means, it really makes me mad. You know, the whole "you're wearing a satanistic symbol" thing.

It was what my friend told me recently and I had a really hard time explaining to her that indeed, I wasn't wearing a satanistic symbol, but something quite different.

As for my religion, I keep it secret, no one knows about it, except for my sister and my 2 friends.

Blessed Be

[Trinity Faith]

I've only had a negative response to my neckalce on a couple of occasions, and I chose to ignore it and move on. However, normally people see it and say "That's a pretty star" or "That's pretty, what tradition are you?". The second comment always stops me in my tracks.. it usually comes from someone that you'd least expect it to. If they just say it's pretty, I reply with a thank you.. If they ask what tradition I am or what path I follow, I tell them, without going into detail.

As for how I explain my beliefs, I don't usually walk around handing out a pamphlet or anything. ;) I'm very open about my beliefs and anyone that knows me, knows i'll be happy to discuss my path with them if they so choose to hear about it.. However the only time I explain it to someone on the street is if they ask what Pagan or Wiccan means. I don't go into a big schpiel, I just tell them I follow a nature based belief system and that I do not believe in the Christian God or Satan, and that my deity is both God and Goddess with many faces. Usually by that time they are either bored and don't want to hear anymore or they're scared (why, I don't know..) and the subject usually ends there. :)

[Eudaimonia]

Depends on the person. Either "I'm a witch" sort of answer, or just a smile. That "I'm Pagan, and I vote!" bumper sticker is probably going to get me in trouble tho.

[Sovaan]

If I suspect that they already have some sense of what it means, I'll usually tell them that I'm a pagan. If I don't think they'll understand that answer, I'll usually say that it's a symbol of humankind living in harmony with nature and the universe. I'll point out that its an abstract representation of the human form and I'll often compare it to Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of a man standing with his limbs outstretched. I may or may not mention the elements.

When people about me about witchcraft or paganism, I'll usually say that it's a nature religion based on acknowledging the cycle of the seasons and living in harmony with nature. If I mention a deity at all, I'll say that most pagans perceive the divine as both female and male--a Goddess and a God. I may say that we acknowledge the goddesses and gods of different mythologies as aspects or manifestations of the Goddess and God.

How much I say depends on the person asking, how open and interested they seem, and how much time and energy I have. One time this woman asked me some rather pointed questions about the Goddess. She wanted to know if pagans believed that the Goddess was "real" and whether or not she was a "being" or something else. I suspected I was being interrogated and I confess I hesitated in my answer because I wasn't really sure how to respond. My hesitation and discomfort seemed to please her, and she then identified herself as a member of Campus Crusade for Christ. After she left it was clear to me that there was a right way and a wrong way to answer her question, and I had answered the wrong way--which was exactly what she wanted me to do.

On that note, I kinda like the idea of having pamphlets printed up. The next time someone asks me about my pentacle or my religion, instead of trying to figure out how to answer I can just hand them a pamphlet with a picture of a woman in a "star spangled" hat with the phrase "The Goddess wants YOU!"

Seriously, maybe we should rethink this "pagans don't proselytize" position. If we proselytized more, people would learn pretty quickly to leave us alone.

--Sovaan

[CSerenity96]

Yeah, this reply is like a month later. BUT when people ask me I have several ways of commenting depending on the person and question.

1. Its a charm.
2. I'm wiccan. Wicca is a life affirming nature based religion focusing on the betterment of self and the world around you. There is a god and goddess and most believe in reincarnation.
3. The pentacle symbolizes the connectiveness of earth, air, fire, and water as they guide the human spirit upwards.