Fear of appearing like a fluff

[Ron]

I've known for a long time that I am afraid of doing anything that might allow one to label
me "fluff" aka "fluffy". Am I the only one?

Despite my natural unattraction to such television shows, ie. Buffy and Angel, I was once
afraid to watch them in fear of becoming fluff - or looking like fluff. I know it's ridiculous,
but when I see Sarah Michelle Gellar, I think of pentacles around the necks of little
children chanting: "We all love the Old Religion". lol. Maybe this is because I have run into
too many fluffs in my short time.

I've found that this stupid fear has prevented me from watching some cool stuff.

Peace and Love.

[Aine of the Fae]

Nope. I don't really care what people think of me. Love Charmed and Buffy, though can't watch them at the moment because cable is unavailable where I live, satellite is too expensive, and I only get 3 channels.....

[Verthandi]

I never feared being called a fluffy. However, I've looked back on how I acted as a newbie
and I wonder if that would cause people to call me a fluffy. ;)

[Sage Rainsong]

I LOVE charmed and buffy. Just because someone finds them entertaining doesn't automatically make you a fluffy bunny. Although it can get slightly annoying when they use the word wicca when refering to demon fighting. I just ignore it. :weirdsmil

[BabyBird]

Around pagans I'm always a little reluctant to admit that I actually liked the movie "The Craft". :bigredblu I know it's not really Wicca and I know it's a pretty bad movie, but I like it. I didn't get into paganism b/c of the movie, but I'm afraid people will assume I did.

[blindfaith^_^]

I loved Buffy and Angel...and even Charmed before it got increddibliy ubsurd. Regardless
though, those are all fictional tv shows and watching them does not make one fluffy...its
the believing in them part that sort of creeps me out.

Any how, I've never been afraid of being thought of as a fluffy for what I watch, Ibut I have
been afraid to say something on ocassion for the fear of being thought of as a fluffy. Part
of my concern is that while I was always studious about my religion and finding out more,
a lot of my information originally was very very very bad. Then after a while my
information was so conflicting and confused. So, I am very careful about what I say as
facts, thoughts, or experiences. It is a sad but true fact that depending on what one says
or does he or she will immediately be labeled a fluffy for saying just one damning thing...

I try not to let this hold my voice back too much over all, but it would be a lie to say that I
do not shy away from conversations when I know what I have to say probably borderlines
fluff.

[Gwenhwyfar]

I only care what other people think of me to a certain extent...Im to not worried about looking fluffy, theres way worse...I liked the craft, not because of the magic, I just like chick flicks :)

[Sleet]

Couldn't possibly care less. My beliefs are what they are. If they make me a fluff, so be it.

I've said it before, sniping fluffies is like shooting fish in a barrel. I don't understand the appeal.

[arctic splash]

I'm not afraid of it... I really don't care... but I am very romantic, optimistic, quite idealistic... and I think sometimes that could get me labelled a fluff. Also... I've always had so many interests but not a huge knowledge of any particular subject... that might get me labelled a fluff, too.

Really, I think fluffs are those who don't know what fluff means, so it really doesn't matter. (They're the ones whose websites I see sometimes, "I am a witch. We are NOT devil worshippers you #!%@#%. Here's a cool spell I know for changing your eye colour!")

[Dawa Lhamo]

I only care what the people I love and respect think. Yes, I tend to be rather naive and optimistic. If anyone thinks me a fluff bunny, then odds are they don't know me very well. I'm not afraid to admit liking Buffy or Angel (though I really do dislike Charmed and the Craft).

And even if you became interested in witchcraft through the Craft or Buffy or Charmed, your path is still as valid as mine. I mean you can build your whole religion around the ideas of a science fiction book if you want to; others have. That doesn't make you fluffy. Fluffiness is an attitude and really, a personality type (even if temporal), not a set of beliefs, nor a qualifier about the validity of your path.

Tashi delek!
Dawa Lhamo

[stephy-sama]

Scared to death of it. I love Buffy and Charmed (not Angel though) and tend to dress in black... but I don't dress in black to be all "look at me! I'm all goth/witch!" I dressed in black when I was christian too. Black is just very slimming and it looks better on me. I'm not "goth". I just like dark colors, but somehow... that's fluffy to some.. *sad face*

[libragrrl]

ahhh fluffy schmuffy.

I love Buffy and Charmed and I'm damned proud of it!

:D

[Loralienn]

(...)but I don't dress in black to be all "look at me! I'm all goth/witch!" I dressed in black when I was christian too. Black is just very slimming and it looks better on me. I'm not "goth". I just like dark colors, but somehow... that's fluffy to some.. *sad face*Lurk mode: off. I couldn't resist!

Nothing wrong with black! I'd have to empty half my closet if so :sniffsnif Although, if I listened to my mother in law (shudder) it is a fashion sin. Then again, she likes copious amounts of sequins so...

Oh yeah, and I never watched Buffy or Charmed, but I never had a reason - just no desire. Oh well :)

Lurk mode resumed!

[Zophael]

Is there anything wrong with being fluffy?

I admit it. I like Buffy and Charmed too.

[ap Dafydd]

Not quite sure of the problem here.

Watching Buffy and Angel is entirely non-fluffy.

Acting as if watching them is enough to make you an experienced Pagan is entirely fluffy.

There you go

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[Rowenna]

Around pagans I'm always a little reluctant to admit that I actually liked the movie "The Craft". :bigredblu I know it's not really Wicca and I know it's a pretty bad movie, but I like it. I didn't get into paganism b/c of the movie, but I'm afraid people will assume I did.

I actually did start studying Wicca because of The Craft :collapse: I liked the movie when it first came out because it was something unique and fun to watch. I started looking up websites to find out more about the actors in the movie, and found out that some of them actually practiced forms of Witchcraft in real life. At first I thought it was pretty silly, until I actually started reading up on what it was all about, and realized that Wicca was something that made sense for me. I dedicated myself several months later and have been practicing ever since. And I feel I'm anything but fluffy. Although once, when trying to share this story of how I started out, I was told I was "ruined" by the movie...RIGHHHT.... :eyebrow:

Oh yeah, I've never once even seen Buffy, Charmed, or Angel...heard of them of course...maybe someday I'll try watching one of them :)

[SacredWithin]

Couldn't possibly care less. My beliefs are what they are. If they make me a fluff, so be it.

I've said it before, sniping fluffies is like shooting fish in a barrel. I don't understand the appeal.

What Sleet saId.

[IvyWitch]

I'm definately not afraid of being labelled that way, but insofar as my interests (rather than an attitude or belief), I just chalk it up to being a dork. :flowers:

[Joshua]

I think I'll be the odd man out here. I voted yes. I go out of my way to dress like a mundane. Aside from that just beiong my clothing preference, I don't want to appear fluffy because it snaps people's minds closed like a bear trap. "Oh you're one of those wierdos" or some such reaction. I'm out of the broom closet, but when it comes up in conversation people tell me they'd never guess that I was pagan (they usually say Wicca, which gets the actually-I'm-not-wicca-but-I-am-pagan conversation going).

[Crow Laylancer]

fluff is buff....err? any ways i have absolutle no fear of appearing like fluff for i know i am not and thats the onlything that matters. i dont feel like fluff and if people are going to judge you in the craft for the things you watch. its really stupid of people to even do that.

[fireswimmer]

Nope, I loved the movie the Craft and watch Buffy until she died. After that I watched it once in a while but did nto care for it. Charmed was okay but never one of my favorites. I do nto think my hubby is fluffy because he likes it.

Something simple about Buffy attracted me. She was a strong woman who did nto wait around for a man to save her. She saved herself. I thought that was a good message for girls. It was fiction and fiction does not equal the same thing as reality. If it claimed to be reality then I would have HUGE issues with it!

My advice is to be comfortable with who you are and watch what you like.

[Temptation]

No, I'm not afraid of what people might think of me, my beliefs or the books I read and TV shows I enjoy.

There are more important and meaningful things in life than what other people think you.

[DixieWitch]

Well if my watching Angel or Buffy (sorry, I've never seen Charmed, don't really care to) makes me fluffy, then so be it. I know what I know I know and I know I'm not fluffy!!! But after years of letting people bother me with what they think about me and letting it hurt my self-esteem, I've learned to really not give a damn what other people think.

[Silverfire Darkmoon]

I absolutely LOVE 'The Craft' because it's a cool movie and has attractive Gothic eye candy (Nancy when she's dolled up in the Victorian granny books and that dress................mmmmmmmm.....just get rid of the piercings and the insanity!). Wiccans tend to overlook the fact that Wicca is mentioned in the film exactly HOW many times? None! 'The Craft' is about witchcraft, and the reason that Wiccans can easily, although rather stupidly, say that 'The Craft' has nothing or very little in common with Wicca is because the movie does not deal with Wicca at all.
The coven in 'The Craft' is a perfect example of fluffiness.......they know little if nothing, and become a huge pain in the arse for themselves and those around them.

[Aleda]

Im not scared of being called a fluffy, I just hate it when im seen that way - especially by older Wiccans/Pagans I respect. But the thing is, im 14 ..and.. most of the fluffies are teenagers.. so sometimes people automatically assume I dont know what im talking about. :(


...

Eh, voted yes anyway.

[MoonDragn]

I dislike the term fluff. It makes it sound like a disease. The path to enlightenment takes many different routes. Truth is often seen in the rediculous or ineffectually mundane exaggerations. Hollywood has always made witchcraft into something its not. This has had a huge effect on the way society thinks about witches etc. TV shows like buff and charmed show that witches can be good and loving also. Frankly anything that puts witches in a good light is good publicity. Does it really matter what labels people put on you? As long as you know truly what it means to be a witch then to hell (heh heh) with them.

I am sick of all these purists who believe that their way is the only way. Mysticism has existed long before people made labels or rules for them.

[Rhianna813]

Hmmmmm well I am 36 and have been studying Paganism (Wicca, Witchcraft, divination, etc) since my early 20's. I am also active in my local Pagan community. But the terms "fluff, fluffy, fluffy bunny" have only been known to me for about a year. And only since joining MW recently have I seen these terms in so much use. Honestly I didn't know this was such an issue LOL

I was only able to watch 20 mins of The Craft on TV before I got annoyed and turned it off. I am not a big Charmed fan but for obvious reasons my DH likes to watch it. I do LOVE Buffy and like Angel. They are top notch entertainment with fantastic character developement and witty writting. I watch what I enjoy and do not live in fear of being labeled.

Rhianna

[Xentor]

I've been a fluff. Education takes care of that.

[semi]

I've never been called fluffy. Most likely never will be. Couldn't care less if I'm called fluffy or anything else. I think it's amusing when people think they have me figured out so well that they can put a label on me.

[2-G]

I'll admit, I've never been a Charmed fan, and Buffy was good until they started being dumb(EARLY EARLY stuff, like when it first came out and Willow wasn't a lesbian.) I've always liked The Craft, but I can't say it's ever really inspired me. What's so inspiring about it, anyway?

*raises hand* OH! I WANNA BE THE PSYCHO WHO KILLS EVERYONE!

Some would say I look like a fluff. I wear tie-dye and black, mostly bandshirts. I used to wear a faery necklace, but I lost it. I also wore a Goddess pendant, but people got too suspicious. I guess you could say I'm kinda afraid of being called one and also that I'm afraid of being harrassed even more.

[Ron]

Hmmmmm well I am 36 and have been studying Paganism (Wicca, Witchcraft, divination, etc) since my early 20's. I am also active in my local Pagan community. But the terms "fluff, fluffy, fluffy bunny" have only been known to me for about a year. And only since joining MW recently have I seen these terms in so much use. Honestly I didn't know this was such an issue LOL

I was only able to watch 20 mins of The Craft on TV before I got annoyed and turned it off. I am not a big Charmed fan but for obvious reasons my DH likes to watch it. I do LOVE Buffy and like Angel. They are top notch entertainment with fantastic character developement and witty writting. I watch what I enjoy and do not live in fear of being labeled.

Rhianna
Sister, when you run into certain people or certain websites, it all becomes clear. Especailly when you talk to you someone who's "old ways" are being "oppressed" by the "religion of the dead man on a cross". If you have not run into these fanatics, you should be happy - it's truly a blessing.

[Tea Leaf]

Would denying who you are in any shape of form (ex. Liking TV shows like Buffy) be better than not being called fluffy?

[mothwench]

no... and i don't watch charmed or buffy, and the reason for this is, because i find them both increadibly boring, not because i'm worried about someone catching me watching them. :wtf:
funny thought, now that i think about it. :spinnysmi

[chrestomancie]

Nope, don't care what people think. I never have. The friends I have like me due to my eccentricities etc. And my family, well if they don't like me their loss...

[MoonDragn]

I like my buffy and charmed the same way I like my sci-fi channel. As for Willow... I remember this girl... back in band camp...

[Athene]

Blessings,

Like another member here, the term 'fluffy' is fairly new to me. I only heard it when getting online. I think it's an American term, although I could be wrong?

There are a few sides to this issue, inner confidence, personal path, review of TV shows, and so many more... lol

Watching a TV show or enjoying a particular film doesn't 'make' you anything.

The contention that most experienced Pagans, etc, have is with those that spurt 'I want to be a witch, I just LOVE Charmed'. It strips the paths of their spiritual essence and boils them down to a glitzy accessory.
It's equivalent to somebody saying, 'I want to be a Christian, Monty Python's Life of Brian was SO funny' [and it was]. It's an insult to Christians and an insult to all spiritual paths. Likewise, Paganism and witchcraft are spiritual paths.

That watching one of those shows leads you to research and eventually discover something you always felt within you, is a totally different experience.

'Fluffy' (as ridiculous as the word is) is an attitude, not a compendium of shows you watch or clothes you wear. It's the attitude where using surface trivia as the basis for a spiritual journey is deemed acceptable.

On the irrelevant subject of show/film reviews. lol
As a witch of some 18 years, I enjoyed 'Practical Magic'. I liked that the witches were some of the most natural ever portrayed on the big screen, that it was mentioned, 'there's no devil in the Craft', and that non-ritualistic magic was the norm.

be blessed

[Rhianna813]

Sister, when you run into certain people or certain websites, it all becomes clear. Especailly when you talk to you someone who's "old ways" are being "oppressed" by the "religion of the dead man on a cross". If you have not run into these fanatics, you should be happy - it's truly a blessing.

Well I have been running a Pagan networking group in my town for about 6 years. We meet once a month at a community center and each time new folks show up and I play hostess LOL I do notice that many of the newbies are very interested in sharing how oppressed/ tormented they are, needing to constantly compare Wicca to Christianity, wearing a lot of Pagan jewelry, bringing a lot of books with them or talking about them, etc... I see this as somewhat normal newbie behavior and just grin n bare it. Now I have also seen some follks who I know have been on the Pagan path for years still behaving like this and it kinda bugs me. Is this what you mean by Fluff?

Thanks for the dialogue :javaswim:

Rhianna

[Maverynthia]

I would like to think that I'm not fluffy. Then again, I'd also like to think that someone would properly educate me on my fluffy slip-up and not just verbally damn me as fluff and move on. People become less fluffy through education, not ignore ance. I'll probably admit to not reading the "best" books to educate myself with...however I don't have the education to know what the "best" books are, so I think that any book that seeks to gleam and display the truth is a good book. Fluffy or not, it's what I know.

[enchancea]

Nope, I dont really care what anyone thinks of me

[Lady Khaibit]

No, I don't. People can have their opinion of me, but it doesn't affect how I look at myself.

[wakywitch]

I love Buffy and Angel and Charmed.
Don't care what people think of me.
Why live by others perceptions of what they think you should be??

[Ron]

Well I have been running a Pagan networking group in my town for about 6 years. We meet once a month at a community center and each time new folks show up and I play hostess LOL I do notice that many of the newbies are very interested in sharing how oppressed/ tormented they are, needing to constantly compare Wicca to Christianity, wearing a lot of Pagan jewelry, bringing a lot of books with them or talking about them, etc... I see this as somewhat normal newbie behavior and just grin n bare it. Now I have also seen some follks who I know have been on the Pagan path for years still behaving like this and it kinda bugs me. Is this what you mean by Fluff?

Thanks for the dialogue :javaswim:

Rhianna
Greetings sister. Those "newbies" you speak of are advanced fluff. LOL. The pure fluff I am talking about have learned everything they know about their "religion" (or abomination thereof) on the internet and from other oral teachers. They are the ones who are been so unfortuneate that they have not read any of the GOOD books on the subject. I am thinking of a specific friend of a friend who still believes "Wicca is the first and oldest religion." and "Traditional Wiccan cannot be mixed with any of those idol gods. If you mix the Goddess with abominations of Her, you are damned.". This little girl is fourteen, and has been studying Wicca for four years, and even is a certain member on here. I threw facts and essays at her, even other reliable sources, until she blocked me on MSN. Oh well, I tried to show her how her lies had taken her.

Cymru am byth.

[DixieWitch]

All I know I learned from the internet and books. Does that make me fluffy?

[Dawa Lhamo]

The pure fluff I am talking about have learned everything they know about their "religion" (or abomination thereof) on the internet and from other oral teachers. They are the ones who are been so unfortuneate that they have not read any of the GOOD books on the subject. I'm not quite sure you meant to say it this way. This would imply that someone who has had an oral education i.e. learned from a guru/teacher/etc. is a fluff if they hadn't read any GOOD, in your eyes, books on the subject. It would indicate that someone who had, perhaps, grown up a witch, learned from his parents and observation and hadn't read those Good Books yet is fluffy.

I still hold that it is an attitude or personality type rather than a set of experiences/beliefs/etc. I grew up with the notion that it's better to have a physical teacher than to learn everything from books. Fluff bunnies were called 'paperback pagans'... ^_^ I think I see what you're saying, but I think it has to do with attitude rather than where one gets his ideas. At least with Wicca, it's a new religion, and there isn't going to be a book for every situation or an ancient history to read up on for every practice. Some of it you have to make up as you go along, making inference and being creative.

Am I making any sense, or am I muddling it all up?

Tashi delek!
Dawa Lhamo

[DixieWitch]

well I guess I'm a paperback pagan then. Because I've never had a teacher. But only because Pagans like to hide under rocks around here. But being where I learned all that I know in the past 12 years doesn't make me any less of a Pagan then someone who learned from actual people.

[Lady Khaibit]

Well, now me personally, I've had "teachers" and I've read various "old texts" on different aspects of many different paths ( yeah and those texts are what's keeping my ceiling from falling down around me :hehehe: ) I don't feel that I am as some would say "fluffy" either. I don't follow anything by a book, I make my own way as it was stated earlier.....


Some of it you have to make up as you go along, making inference and being creative.
I have to agree with you on this one...magick isn't something that is going to follow a set of intructions or not all scenarios are going to be in a written book.... there are many aspects to take into consideration,....creativity above all else is what makes magick... maybe I'm just rambling, but that's how i feel

[bshore]

I don't like the idea of fluff bunnies. Calling someone fluffy, to me, is just another way of saying "I think I'm better than you". Exactly who are we to be labeling other people and judging their path? If someone wants to focus on the happy, white magic, fairydust side of Paganism, good for them. If they insist on sticking to outdated versions of history, by all means suggest they read a newer article, but remember that the founder of Wicca (probably the largest "denomination" of Paganism) was operating under these same outdated ideas when he developed it.

If people are actually worried about being judged by fellow Pagans for enjoying fictional tv shows, then maybe we should be looking back at our community and the way we categorize people within it. Reading this article by Isacc Bonewits really got me thinking about this subject ( http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_article.html?a=usny&id=8963 ).

No one is perfect. And no one will ever follow a path exactly the way you think it should be followed. Above all, remember that you were once new to this path (most of you) and not every newbie automatically realizes that there is more than one path or book or teacher out there. Embrace the "fluffies" as a colorful part of our eclectic community. Surely if we have room for people who believe themselves to be vampires, elves, or fairies (all paths with their own merits and values), we have room for people who blissfully follow only the things that make them feel special, wether we agree with it or not.

[elfmage]

I voted "yes," because of the way I have seen some of the "fluffies" treated.

Yeah, I agree, they can really give all of us a bad name. However, so do people who do nothing but attack people who think differently.

Ironic, considering we are all part of a majority, no?

[elfmage]

Greetings sister. Those "newbies" you speak of are advanced fluff. LOL. The pure fluff I am talking about have learned everything they know about their "religion" (or abomination thereof) on the internet and from other oral teachers. They are the ones who are been so unfortuneate that they have not read any of the GOOD books on the subject. I am thinking of a specific friend of a friend who still believes "Wicca is the first and oldest religion." and "Traditional Wiccan cannot be mixed with any of those idol gods. If you mix the Goddess with abominations of Her, you are damned.". This little girl is fourteen, and has been studying Wicca for four years, and even is a certain member on here. I threw facts and essays at her, even other reliable sources, until she blocked me on MSN. Oh well, I tried to show her how her lies had taken her.

Cymru am byth.

I guess the problem with just labelling someone a "fluffy" is that it is all relative. To Traditionalist Wiccans (ie, Gardnerians) all of these people who claim to be "Eclectic Wiccans" or "Christian Wiccans" etc are not actually Wiccans at all, by their definitions.

Again, I agree that these people can be quite ill-informed, either due to their newness, or due to a deliberate avoidance of what they do not wish to know. However, that is their decision. If they are new, then they shall learn, or move on. And if they choose to remain ignorant, well, then really, who are we to pass judgement?

Just my thoughts...

[Aleigh]

Yeah. :bigredblu I never worried about seeming fluffy because of Buffy (hey that rhymed!) and Angel because I didn't start watching them until after I started on my path, and I mainly watch Buffy for one certain, totally non-witchcraft-related character anyway.(Hail Spike!) ;) Now, Charmed, I wouldn't admit for the longest time that I liked it (before it got totally, totally stupid anyway). :lol: Ditto with "The Craft". I liked it, even though I knew at the time that it was full of bologna. It's not what got me interested, but for a while I wouldn't have admitted I'd even seen it. LOL

[Dio]

Why can't we base our opinions of people based on their actions, and the way they live their life and spirituality....not the form of entertainment they choose to watch

I watch what I want and I don't care what anyone thinks of me. If someone wants to base my character on the shows I watch......they need to grow up. That's all..

I know who I am. I know what I like. That's what matters.

.

[Xentor]

Why can't we base our opinions of people based on their actions, and the way they live their life and spirituality....not the form of entertainment they choose to watch

I watch what I want and I don't care what anyone thinks of me. If someone wants to base my character on the shows I watch......they need to grow up. That's all..

I know who I am. I know what I like. That's what matters.

.

Exactly. Know who you are and what you like. Let the whole world think I'm crazy. I don't care. I'll find someone who thinks like I do, even if it takes me 2 decades.

Oh wait, it did take me 2 decades and I did find people who think like me. It's called Mystic Wicks.

I wasn't called a Fluff-bunnie. I was called a loonatic. Meh. You know what kept me sane? The conviction that deep down, I was right.

[Doodlebug]

I voted no but I have been afraid of this in the past when I was a Wiccan. Currently though, I'm honestly not afraid of it. I don't care if people think I'm fluffy. It's my spiritual path and it works best for me and that's what matters the most. :)

[The High Queen of Faerie]

i think the whole 'fluff' concept is for 'tards. i hate it. why create division in the pagan community? oh, wow, more pagan than thou, fabulous *rolls eyes*

[Ron]

i think the whole 'fluff' concept is for 'tards. i hate it. why create division in the pagan community? oh, wow, more pagan than thou, fabulous *rolls eyes*
That's debateable, sister. Perhaps you have yet to meet an extremist fluff or an extremist badger. I assure you, that once you do, you will know why the tern fluff (fluffy bunny) is so popular.

Yn bywyd gwell

[djmixon]

Is there really such a thing as "Fluff"?

What would give someone who truly practices a religion - Christian or Pagan - the right to call anyone "Fluff"?

Isn't the purpose of us living together in this world for us to get along. . .whether we agree with one another or not. . .

Isn't that what people who call others "Fluff" are really doing? Disagreeing?

Isn't each of us allowed growth on our chosen paths? If that is the case, then doesn't it make sense that we would each grow at our own rates, thereby causing some to grow faster and some slower which would appear as "Fluff" to others?

And doesn't calling someone "Fluffy" actually hinder growth rather than help it?

Just my thoughts?

Donna

PS. . .no, I am not worried about someone calling me "Fluffy". I am who I am and I know that God isn't finished with me yet. . .and I am not on anyone's time schedule except His. . .

BB

[Ron]

Is there really such a thing as "Fluff"?

What would give someone who truly practices a religion - Christian or Pagan - the right to call anyone "Fluff"?

Isn't the purpose of us living together in this world for us to get along. . .whether we agree with one another or not. . .

Isn't that what people who call others "Fluff" are really doing? Disagreeing?

Isn't each of us allowed growth on our chosen paths? If that is the case, then doesn't it make sense that we would each grow at our own rates, thereby causing some to grow faster and some slower which would appear as "Fluff" to others?

And doesn't calling someone "Fluffy" actually hinder growth rather than help it?

Just my thoughts?

Donna

PS. . .no, I am not worried about someone calling me "Fluffy". I am who I am and I know that God isn't finished with me yet. . .and I am not on anyone's time schedule except His. . .

BB Sister, I see what you are saying, but I think you're missing the point. If you take an extremist fluff and say: "So, how was your day?" They are very likely to give you the excellent response of: "It was excellent. I showed the wicked Christians that the Old Religion was more powerful. I hexed their wombs so they will never have chlidren."... once you hear that, you can just scream. Another frequent one is: "Oh and Christianity is so stupid. I bet Jesus was the God just coming for a visit, but they all took it wrongly. Everyone should just break down back to the Old Relgion, or I'll have to hex them."

:fpartyfav Calling such people fluff serves as a WAKE UP CALL. :) :whatgives

[djmixon]

Well, using a clearly derogatory term is not likely to endear you to them. . .or help them learn or listen. . .

Kind of like people calling me fat or making fun of me because I am not a size 2. . .it does nothing by anger me and deteriorate my sense of worth. . .not make me diet. . .it makes me ultimately depressed. . .and there goes any healthy eating (okay, maybe I am exaggerating here, but I think you get my point).

Perhaps asking them how they can be sure their hexes won't "backfire" or what success rate they have had. . .you know. . .put the truth in there to help them see what is really happening. . .

Just my 2 cents. . .


D

[fireswimmer]

All I know I learned from the internet and books. Does that make me fluffy?

It depends what you learned. That is a loaded question. We all know that there are good sources and bad. Personally I think that if that is the only source you learned from you missed the point. Personally I think that a good portion of this has to come out of you. Some things you learn through meditations or becaus ethe thought came to you and felt right. Soem of the worst books will have a little nugget that stays with you. That little nugget may be all you needed from the book. Part of the learning process comes from finding what resonates with you.

[Druchii]

I don't think anyone has EVER called me fluffy to my face...
Gay, maybe... A dork even.. but who cares? If you are you are, if you aren't you aren't.
Only you know that answer. :)

[Niamh celtic mist]

I don't care what people think I'm on a Solitery path and that is the way I like it....This is my trip!

Niamh _wth_

[OMmomma]

Anyone ever call me a fluff? no, even when I was a newbie, no one would dare... I was far too unpredictable.. we're talkin 1983 here... and I don't think the term was even coined back then... ~OMmomma


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v363/Ketutar/fluffbunnies.jpg
Let’s look at the various critters quickly:



Fuzzy Sheep—blinking-eyed, open-mouthed, newbies with no experience in Paganism at all.

Furry Coyotes—winking-eyed, howling-mouthed, tricksters who have seen (and done) it all.

Sly Foxes—bright and clever folks who know enough to be dangerous.

Wise Owls— thoughtful and temperate ones who value wisdom over knowledge.

Golden Geckos—paragons of virtue, always ready to tell others what to do and how to do it.

Slippery Eels—folks who’ve learned a lot of different ways to bamboozle others.

Fluffy Bunnies—naive newcomers who think sheer niceness is all they need to be Pagans.

Stinking Badgers—cynical contrarians who use their knowledge and experience as weapons.

Tenacious Turtles—thick-shelled, steady learners who just keep moving forward on their paths.

[Hippywitch]

This is a really bizarre thread. I thought we were all about respect and tolerance here. I'd never even heard the term 'fluff' or 'fluffy bunny' used in this context before.
I get called 'fluffy' because of my affiliation for all things small and cuddly, and yes fluffy. I have a dear, respected and much loved friend who is known to the world as 'Fluffy Bunny Ian'.

The term in itself is not derogatory. To my way of thinking it celebrates the sensitivity of an individual in this absurd old world. Or at least it should do! The way it is being used here, however, is downright insulting. Surely it does not matter how one comes upon their path, how they progress and learn, how often they make mistakes with those early tentative steps, and definitely not what TV they watch!

[serenarian]

I don't care if anyone thinks I'm a fluff, a techno-pagan, or even a walking rainbow. At the end of the day life is too damn short to spend it worrying about what other people think, because in general people believe what they want to believe or what society tells them to believe. Especially when it comes to abstract topics like religion or emotional stuff.

Sorry if this reply comes across as quite venomous and spiteful, it's not intended. Am just feeling a little bitter right now.

[barlitone]

Fear of appearing to be fluffy, or fluffapparitiphobia, is a common disease that even those who profess not to have usually suffer the effects of.

Symptoms--like fear of speaking highly of witchcraft-inspired television series and movies, and fear of buying books about love spells for teenagers when other pagans are around--typically flare up during events where non-fluffies are present in spades. The sad thing is, though, that these non-fluffies often suffer from this social disease, too.

The best way scientologists--I mean, scientists--have found to deal with this fear is, of course, to face it head-on. Yep. Head-on. Like you didn't see that one coming. And, if that's not insulting enough to your intelligence, try this on for size: the scientists spent thousands of dollars in research (eating dozens of doughnuts a day) to find out what anyone who watches the Springer show knows: facing your fear head-on is quality therapy.

Where was I? Oh yeah: facing it head-on. (Note from barlitone: I'm sorry that this is the best I could come up with. I'm tired!)

Go to a psychic event, rent a booth, and do readings for "serious" pagans with a tarot set made of anime characters (all of whom should be pretty schoolgirls with 10-year-old faces and 21-year-old bodies, complete with oddly shaped and overlarge eyes and really, really small mouths that disappear when the character isn't talking. Robots are a plus, if you can fit them in, too.). In any instance where you would say the syllable "god," use "goddess" instead: "Goddessda**it!" or "Goddess Bless" work well. If someone calls you fluffy, giggle and throw some small fluffy stuffed animals at them, wink, giggle some more, and scamper away.

You see, even the most non-fluffy have their fluffy elements. Simply saying that they don't have them makes them seem more fluffy to me.

I'm sure some folks think me a fluffy guy. I don't want people to think that, but they probably do. SO WHAT.

[Shatril]

Who gives a crap what anyone thinks of you!!!!
Shatril

[fay]

i did used to be afraid of being fluffy, but i think that was just as i was coming out of my fluffy phase. i think most people go through it at one point.
i dont care now, someone could say that im fluffy but i know that im not. to me a fluffy bunny is someone who resolutely hangs onto misconceptions after theyve been proved wrong and also those that are only into wicca to be a rebel. i dont mean those that come as a rebel and then find that there is something that they believe in wicca. im talking about those that only want to be wiccan so that they can talk about how persecuted they are by 'evil' christians.
as i said i was fluffy at one point, but now im not. i research, question, debate, discuss, listen and i like to think that that helps me to be better informed.
blessed be

[arctic splash]

Happy Fluff Day, all you fluffies!

(Hey, February 10 is as good a day as any).

[Dead Dogs]

Who gives a crap what anyone thinks of you!!!!
Shatril

Extraverts, people with low self-esteem, politicians, Jesus... you know, the usual. _wiz_

[Irena_chaosmoon]

Um, I didn't realise that being fluffy was synonomous for watching certain TV shows. I do website reviews on my site, and when I call someone fluffy, its because of the content of their site, or what they believe Wicca (TM) is. When people start blasting my website reviews because they think I sound mean, its really pisses me off, and I call them fluffy too. Thats because they don't understand that most (serious) Wiccans, like me, are sick of seeing sites with the same of crap, like "We don't worship Satan!!!!!!", or that "we are nature worshippers", or crap about the Holly King and Lucifer being evil. Thank you, I don't like to hear that the god I worship is evil, I'm sure He wouldn't be too impressed either. And the worse thing? They link to other horrible sites with the same crappy information, and their book reference is half by Silver Raven Wolf and Scott Cunningham.

</rant>

Sorry, but I just get annoyed by the plethero of crap, fluffy sites out their that offer absolutely nothing to the pagan community.

:evilway:

[WolfWonderess]

I gotta admit, I do have my pet-peeves regarding "fluffies", but I don't see "fluffs" as being exclusive to only pagan religions. It is just kinda irritating when someone doesn't know the first thing about their own religion, especially if they profess to be a follower of the same religion as you and it's painfully obvious that they know zilch about it. Now, it's not bad if it's an honest mistake or they're new on the path, but if someone professes to have been following, say, the path of Traditional Wicca for five years and still waves a "never again the Burning Times!" flag, and then argues that indeed Wicca IS "the Olde Religion" even after being presented with facts stating otherwise...that's when it gets annoying. If they had, however, looked at the facts and gone, "Oops!" and admitted the mistake and acknowledged the new information...then that's another story. Honest mistakes happen, and owning up to them is a mark of maturity as I see it. ^_~

It's just as annoying when Christians or anyone else know nothing about their own religion and go parading around false facts, and every religion has people that do this...

Another source of annoyance for me are persecution complexes... ^^;; Now, some people do have very valid concerns and legitimate reasons for such fears, but then there are the "fluffs" that purposefully bait Christians and just poke and poke and poke...and then, when they <i>finally</i> get the desired, annoyed reaction, cry bloody murder and ZOMG teh evil Christians!!!111!

Really, those are the only times I can really think of someone as "fluffy".

[Chibi-Fallon]

I used to feel bad about it.
And I do look down on some people who read some of the teen trash novels that are out there about Wicca, but only because I got a free book today and picked up the first of the Sweep series, and it’s almost too awful to make fun of. But that’s more that I’m just against reading bad books for anything other then to laugh at them.
I watch a little bit of Angel every now and then. I don't see anything wrong with it. I got a thing for Fred, what can I say?

Angel and Buffy are to Wicca what Touched by an Angel is to Christianity.

[Shatril]

Extraverts, people with low self-esteem, politicians, Jesus... you know, the usual. _wiz_
Well that list just proves my point, again I say who gives a crap what anyone thinks. _twohorns_
I'm an extrovert, and I know I'm great, so I don't need someone else to tell me I am. And really I was saying this for the benefit of those free thinkers that have minds of there own, and know what is right for them. Fluffy or not.

No ones religion is wrong, evil christian or not. Whatever enlightens them and makes them happy is what is right. Who are we to judge what is right for others. Just because we don't hold the same belief, and base our religion on other historical facts doesn't give us the right to bash anyone's religion. Live and let live. As long as you don't shove it at me, or hurt my family in the name of their god, and I will give you the same respect. We all have a right to worship how we chose, it's part of the constitution. It's all good.

I know that I'm holding a higher standard than most christian religions, but two wrongs don't make a right. Plus, I think it is the right thing to do.

[HorseCrow]

No. Probably because I'm not really fluffy :D

[banondraig]

i always thought "charmed" and "buffy" were kinda dumb. i always liked "bewtiched" and "i dream of jeannie" when i was a kid, and "xena: warrior princess" and "hercules" are chock-full of cheesy goodness. :)

i tend to keep all of my pagan-ness, fluffy-looking or not, sort of under my hat unless i am in the company of like-minded people, for various reasons.

[CryssieWillow]

I really don't give a rats ass about what people think of my pagan-ness.
Besides, I think the whole anti-fluffy rage is bloody ridiculous in the first place.

[Maverynthia]

Something along the Fluffy thread. Why do some Wiccans/Pagans have to state:
"I'm a High Preistess blahblahblah and I have my own coven blah blah." Isn't that both...conceited AND Fluffy?

[Shatril]

Something along the Fluffy thread. Why do some Wiccans/Pagans have to state:
"I'm a High Preistess blahblahblah and I have my own coven blah blah." Isn't that both...conceited AND Fluffy?
No that is someone with low self-esteem trying to impress you with their importance. These people are worthy of your compassion, but not your respect.
Shatril

[Furi]

I am often worried to admit that I like The Craft, Charmed, and Harry Potter. Firstly, I didn't even know of Charmed until after I became a Wiccan. Secondly, I was firstly turned onto Wicca not by the mentioned things but by candle magic (I have always had an interest in the....supernatural).

[Lunamoth]

I am often worried to admit that I like The Craft, Charmed, and Harry Potter. Firstly, I didn't even know of Charmed until after I became a Wiccan. Secondly, I was firstly turned onto Wicca not by the mentioned things but by candle magic (I have always had an interest in the....supernatural).

Someone said it before: your choices of entertainment have no bearing on your spiritual life. At least, not in most thinking-peoples' opinion. Let's take it to another context, for example:

I am an avid reader, something of a linguist. I consider myself rather intelligent and intellectual. But every now and then, I am entertained by a movie like Dodgeball. Does this - enjoying a film obviously meant to entertain the lowest common denomenator - mean that I am less intelligent? Or that I was simply entertained for 2 hours?

I recall liking the Craft when it came out, but I also recall the backlash of people complaining that it was going to draw a lot of attention to witchcraft and how awful that was. I recall the same backlash when Charmed arrived. Personally, I was just annoyed that the theme was "How Soon is Now?" and I could no longer hear that song without thinking of the show's intro credits. Oh, and I think the writing is lame. But that's TV for you.

I remember the term "fluffy bunnies" from years ago, thought I can't remember exactly when I first heard it. You're not a fluffy bunny if you like a specific TV show. You're a fluffy bunny if you honestly believe those shows are anything but fiction.

[MagickalHack]

My opinion, like a few others that I have read, is I could really care less what anyone, other than my S/O thinks of me. I am a solitary practicioner. That is how i have been fo9r the last 5 years or so, and that is how I will contoinue to be, unless My love asks to be a part of my practicing.

[ollathair]

I have no concerns over what people think of me. I have my own spirituality, my own belief's, and if they don't like it ... tough! I do not consider myself 'fluffy'. Like many I am a solitary practitioner. I practice with my wife yet we are still solitary as we do have slightly differing beliefs. I make mistakes, I get my facts wrong from time to time, I procrastinate at times ... yet I am true to my beliefs and I do not say that I am Wiccan, or even Pagan, just to be ... different.

Oh, and I love the movie 'Practical Magic' ... I hate 'Buffy', I have never watched 'Charmed' or 'The Craft'. I read novels based on Witchcraft and Wicca. One of my favourite authors is Susan Wittig Albert and her China Bayle's mysteries. Another is Dolores Stewart Riccio and her book, 'Circle of Five' (I haven't read the sequel yet but I am sure to enjoy it when I do). If all that makes me seem fluffy, then so be it :)

[Silver_FireStar]

I've known for a long time that I am afraid of doing anything that might allow one to label
me "fluff" aka "fluffy". Am I the only one?

Despite my natural unattraction to such television shows, ie. Buffy and Angel, I was once
afraid to watch them in fear of becoming fluff - or looking like fluff. I know it's ridiculous,
but when I see Sarah Michelle Gellar, I think of pentacles around the necks of little
children chanting: "We all love the Old Religion". lol. Maybe this is because I have run into
too many fluffs in my short time.

I've found that this stupid fear has prevented me from watching some cool stuff.

Peace and Love.


Heh, Angel rocks! But hun, Angel was way too dark to ever be called fluffy. Seriously, some of the mental stuff on there is quite scary. Jasmine and Conner are the two latest examples. Angel ended world peace and slit a friends throat, before being sank to the bottom of the ocean by his son, how that can be fluffy I have no idea.

I Hate buffy vehemently...Heck I just hate geller since she started it. Ok she was good in cruel intentions, but everything else she just whinges in.

I watch charmed and am proud of it too.

What you watch doesn't make you a fluff. I would actually say not watching things for fear of what others think is worse. Loosen up, people will always discriminate against you for something, may as well enjoy it.

[Jenne]

No...and you know what? I think people on this site make more out of being fluffy or not than anywhere else I've been...seems there is this stigma against being a loving, giving person, and you get labeled as "fluffy" if you don't go around smacking people religiously with your opinions.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to get along with the universe. In fact, you're apt to be a happier person IRL if you seek to find the good in people and revel in that, rather than always looking for someone else's wrong turn, thereby missing your own.

Sorry...I'm in a mood today. :P

[LyraDragonStar]

I'm not afraid of appering like a fluffy. I know what a fluffy is, and I know that I'm not one, and that's all I think matters. If someone wants to call me fluffy, then they can, but that doesn't mean they are right. That's all I have to say.

[Koehnae]

I was afraid to watch those kind of shows too... and then I realized that was making me look like a fluff. Now, I realize that its my life and I don't give a crap what others think of what I do.

[DandelionDame]

Nope from me too. For one thing, being solitary allows a tremendous amount of freedom from caring what other people think. My cats and dog think I rock, and they're the only ones that come & go when I'm doing my thang.

As far as tv, I loved Charmed when Shannen was on it. Huge, HUGE Buffy fan because it entertained the heck out of me. The Craft was fun but I only watched it once when it came out on video - not exactly an influence. :) Angel I want very much to start watching on DVD because I missed the first season or 2 and couldn't keep up when watching after that ("WHAT? Angel and CORDELIA? How did THAT happen?!").

In short, I put lots of thought and research when it's called for into any pagany thing I do. That's good enough for me.

[FaeFollower]

I don't worry about it. You can call me a fluff if you want, but I'm learning and developing my ideas, so I won't really pay much attention to it. To be honest, I'm getting rather weary of all the bunny bashing that goes on.

I don't really watch those shows like 'Charmed' or 'Buffy', but that is just because I don't really watch TV at all in the first place. I did like 'The Craft' though; it was just a cool movie.

[Serenity]

I don't think what you watch on television has any impact on your spiritual practice -- it doesn't for me, anyway. I enjoy all three shows -- Buffy , Angel and Charmed -- I feel they are great shows that provide good entertainment.

I really think a person appears fluffy based on things other than their entertainment choices. Some people appear fluffy to me without my knowing what TV shows they prefer.http://mysticwicks.com/images/smilies/rotflol.gif

[Windsmith]

Sure, I'll wake up this sleepy ol' thread.

For me, it's never so much "fearing" I'll appear fluffy as knowing that eventually I will. Everyone, no matter how much time and thought they've put into their path, seems like a fluff to someone else. Many of my beliefs are based in science. That seems like it would have a lot of gravitas, right? But, although I've never experienced it first-hand, I know that other Pagans of similar beliefs have been ridiculed and termed fluffy for allegedly trying to "justify" their beliefs through science.

Reclaiming uses a lot of language we learned from the Quakers, an old, respected tradition. We use the language - and the practices behind them - with great seriousness of intent. And yet, the first time I used one of those common words around my wife, she burst out laughing and said, "You guys are so woo-woo sometimes." But then, she had recently told me about a fairy who'd attached itself to her throughout college and on until it followed her then-boyfriend to Arizona and got lost, and I struggled mightily not to laugh in her face.

In the immortal words of Paul Rudnick's gay priest in Jeffrey: "Those people out there, they're worshipping virgin births, the resurrection, Ben Hur - and I'm the crazy one?" Which is to say - for every belief that one person holds, there is another person who considers those beliefs fluffy.

[gurlygurl2004]

Yes, I have, but you know what f- it, being fluffy is part of my personality. Sure there's a part of me that would like to take a knife to the fluffy bunny :lol: but at the same time I want to hug it and embrace it.

[Cake-eating_Moth]

This may have been mentioned previously, but the fault wouldn't be in your fear of being "fluff", the fault would be in our community. The fault IS in our community. EVERYONE use to have naive conceptions about the way things work in the world - we are all children, no matter HOW much we think we know. We are constantly learning, constantly reaching to achieve the perfect way of thinking.

I've never had the fear because I'd come to the conclusion long before I started learning things about paganism that I'd always be learning, and I would look into the criticisms of others as time permitted - and I would learn. So... I've never had that fear. I'm sorry that this fear has kept you from enjoying simple entertainment. There's nothing wrong with Buffy or Angel - only in the person, if they think this entertainment is reality. That's when I'd call someone like this demented, not 'fluffy'.

I hope you can get over this phobia; don't ever let fear, especially of other people, get in the way of you enjoying everyday life.

[PandoraHealer]

I tend not to attend group events b/c of it- I'm much younger than most people there, therefor less experienced. I also have a friend that is pagan when she feels fit to be or feels like 'messing' with it.... she's fluffy- very very fluffy.... and there for quite some time, I didn't see it-we'd go to group things together and she'd be dazed and confused as to what certain parts of the ritual was for.... like calling the elements or.... candles..... anyway- as I became more dedicated, i learned more and left the fluff in the dust....

I'm always concerned with what other people think of me- and yha, everyone says who cares- just be yourself - I am being myself but I'm not going to let myself be fluffy, or whatever...

BB-PH

[Xirian]

I really don't like the use of the term "fluff" or "fluffy" as many of you already know. I think first, you have to become attached to the term in one way or another, which I am not. And you also must feel that it is a fitting term to use, which I do not. Therefore, I will never see myself as such and would never be scared if someone labeled me that because who are they to judge my path or anyone else's for that matter? It is a useless, all encompassing term that shows laziness on the part of the user, in my personal opinion.

[~Owl~]

Me? ME??? Appear like a fluff? ROTLLMAO!!!

Oh, that just kills me... :rollingla

[Fairy_Princess]

I don't think I've ever had that problem.... Unless from a distance you mistook my rabbit fur coat for my own fur...

[Malcolm]

Yes, I have, but you know what f- it, being fluffy is part of my personality. Sure there's a part of me that would like to take a knife to the fluffy bunny but at the same time I want to hug it and embrace it.


Me too, untill the little bastard stops breathing. :whistle:


j/k I actually kinda try to nurture that thing. I have a tendency to be a bit spikey as it turns out. I could use a little fluff honestly.

[inkywitch]

Since the question was phrased 'have you ever...' I will answer honestly and say yes.

When I first found Paganism, I made the mistake of going to 'Ask A Witch' chatroom on Yahoo. First I got crap for asking was all this 'BB, MP, MM' was everyone was saying. Then when I explained I was new and interested in knowing more, I got MORE crap and they started calling me names. It wasn't a first good impression, and put me of the whole thing for a year or two until I came back to it. When I first started learning about Wicca, I was petrified of looking stupid (and therefore being called a fluff bunnie) and even avoided talking with other Pagans for a while.

8 years later, it would be silly for me to still feel self-concious now :P

[Fairy_Princess]

Well you have to realize that only douchebags hang out in Yahoo! Chatrooms. The issue wasn't that they were pagan/witches, it's that they hung out in yahoo! chat all day.

I should know, I was in "Ask a Witch" pretty much all the time from 2002-2005

[HetHert]

Fluff is something your dryer does. Fluffy is something you name the cat or dog, bunny or furry thing. Unless your a furry pagan/witch/whatever... One is not fluffy.

Unless, of course, you are.

In which case...fluff on fluffy...fluff on.

IMnotsohumbleO the debate about fluffy vs non-fluffy is about as useful as tits on a male dog.

[ShadowStalker]

Nah. If people want to see me as fluff.... they'll learn differently to their detriment for underestimating me. ;)

I don't shy away from my lighter side... nor my darker side. I embrace both, and prefer to be comfortable in my own skin. Worrying what other people think about me doesn't allow me to do that... so I don't. (Worry, that is.)

My SO calls me a big marshmallow all the time...followed by "But a big mean scarey marshmallow...." :rollingla

Dark as he is, even he knows better than to mess with me. So... my answer to your question.... is no.

[Xentor]

Well you have to realize that only douchebags hang out in Yahoo! Chatrooms. The issue wasn't that they were pagan/witches, it's that they hung out in yahoo! chat all day.

I should know, I was in "Ask a Witch" pretty much all the time from 2002-2005

You don't have to hang out in Yahoo! Chatrooms to be a douchebag. Please stop offending the douchebags.

[ShadowStalker]

i dunno if ive ever posted in this thread before....


just to make a rough guestiment.... ive killed somewhere between 5,000 and possibly 10,000 various living things in my life and never once regretted any of them. does that count as being fluffy?

*Points at Rudas* FLUFF!!!

I think it counts if you WEAR the fuzzies after you kill them.... ;)

[Rudas Starblaze]

*Points at Rudas* FLUFF!!!

I think it counts if you WEAR the fuzzies after you kill them.... ;)

well damn.... ive been known to bath in the blood, lick and bite the hearts, and even wear freshly skinned hides just to muck with people.

i hate being a fluffy! *goes off to cry*

lmfao :smoke:

ETA: and pose with a rotting deer head over my head. :lol:

[VioletJadeWolf]

I used to worry about that. Not so much anymore, though.

[Philosophia]

I don't care. If people want to see me as "fluffy" then thats there problem. As long as I know who and what I am, then I honestly don't care what others think about me.

[Heart of All]

I'm still sort of afraid of the fluffy-ness. It doesn't bother me in some respects if people call me that, because I'm quite the girly-girl and my bedroom is still lavendar with fairies and butterflies and unicorns painted on the wall. I like stuff like that.

What does scare me, is whether or not I seem stupid. I'm still pretty new to the pagan thing (I've only been pagan for six months). And I'm reading all I can and meditating and everything. I read three or four "intro to witchcraft books," some of which I feel will be quite useful to me (Like Raymond Buckland's), and some which I couldn't even finish (Like Silver Ravenwolf's). But I'm at the point now where I'm mixing two fairly well-known paths. And I want to commit to my path and study with other people on it. But I don't know. The heathens would think I'm a fluffy pagan, and the pagans would think I'm weird for being half-heathen or something.

I guess what I'm saying is that I agree with Windsmith. Someone is going to look at it as fluffy in some way or another. And I don't want them to dismiss my path because it's different.

Yeah. And I love Charmed and it has no influence on my pagan-ness.

[Mahren]

I know I shouldn't care what other people think, pagan or non pagan. But I'm seventeen, worrying about what other people think is kinda what we do.

Since I was about eight or nine I've known about wicca and paganism, but I was fifteen when I started to seriously practice. I know I don't know every thing but I still find myself tip toeing around, even here, to avoid the fluffy label.

[River]

Maybe this is arrogant, but I'm not afraid of being called a fluff because I'm not one.

Mahren, I love your signature. I distinctly remember snorting my tea when i saw that on the simpsons.

[Mahren]

Thanks River. It's one of my favorite simpsons quotes of all time.

And that doesn't sound like arrogance. I know I'm not a fluffy, but I'm still unsure of my footing on my path. Mostly it's a "Am I doing this right?" kind of thing.

[Lauren Michele]

I voted no. I am not afraid of being called fluffy. If that is what people want to call me so be it. I have come very far in my journey. I will be 40 this year and since I was 16 years old I had been searching for my path. I call myself a witch due to fact that I cast spells and practice magick. But my religion is Wicca.
It's a choice that I made to call myself a witch and alot of Wiccans do. We are just as wise.:D


~Belladonna~

[Brandon Bee]

Not really. Because I'm not fluffy, and who ever thinks I am... They can go screw themselves. :hahugh:

[Nocturna]

Yes, because sometimes I do in spite of myself. But then I go and do what I want. If I worried too much about people thinking I’m fluffy, dorky, low-brow etc. I’d pass on a lot of things I enjoy. It’s nobody’s business but my own.

[RainInanna]

I do sometimes but then I realize it's a waste of time worrying about that. I could spend my time learning or even teaching others instead of wondering what someone else says about me. Someone will always have something to say about others. You can only be true to yourself.

[Eternal Night]

Couldn't really give two hoots I watch and listen and read what i want to regardless of how i get perceived.
If someone wants to label me fluffy for watching charmed then that is their small mindedness.....If they took the time to get to know me then they would realise I am only Fluffy when i want to be! ;)

[Jadewynd~]

I really could care less what others truly think about me or my spiritual chosen path. I could care less whether it fits into their box of path, lifestyle or religion, etc. I am the captain of my own ship and know what is best for me. It may not work for you but it works for me.

[Knate]

My extreme and overbearing fluffyness surpasses even that of those on this site.

I am more fluffy than a Crowley quoting crystal wearing non-occultist Wiccan.

I have actually sprouted a fluffy bunny tail last week.

Now I have to cut holes in the butt of all my pants for my fluffy tail.

The Mexican Immigrants I work with at my job now call me "El Hefe Fluffy"

The best part of being the the fluffy Duke of Earl?

The itching burning sensation.

It hurts so good.

And the bumper sticker on my car reflects all of this.

Now, where did I leave that Inkubus Sukkubus Cd.............

[Vigdisdotter]

I'm not worried in the least :)

The last time someone accused me of being "fluffy" I affixed fangs and claws to a stuffed toy bunny and took it with me to the next meeting ~_^

[Jadewynd~]

Cheers :cheers:to the fluffy bunnies that say " Nih" ;)

[Vigdisdotter]

Cheers :cheers:to the fluffy bunnies that say " Nih" ;)

Backatcha ~_^

Gotta love that movie.

[Glory]

I used to!

But now I can't be bothered to lie. Yes, I love Buffy. No, I wasn't raised pagan. This doesn't make me fluffy and anyone who thinks it does don't know me very well, so it doesn't matter.

[I'mNotPersephone]

I only care to some extent. I don't like when my family and friends think that I am just being flighty, niave, and gullible.
I am very good at putting myself into someone else's shoes. So when I read about other's beliefs, or hear from someone first hand, I can see where they are coming from and usually accept their beliefs as valid. So I come off as believing everything I see. While I accept things as valid I don't necessarily believe the same. But I store it what I hear and use it on whatever level I can relate best, based on my own past experiences.

I dont care what ppl I dont know think. But I feel hurt when those close to me disregard what I say and think due to my "gullibleness".

[Evernight]

I've played a lot of the big online computer games like Ultima Online and World of Warcraft over the years, and one term that gets bandied about a lot on those is "noob". It originally had a meaning, but these days it's an all-purpose insult for anyone who isn't doing things the way you think they should be doing them, and usually reflects worse on the person who said it than the person on the receiving end.

"Fluffy" seems to be the pagan equivalent of "noob". It's been used to mean so many different things that it's more or less ceased to have any universal definition except "You aren't doing what I think you should be doing." And I've never really worried about doing what people think I should be doing.

I've never been called fluffy, perhaps because I've never been Wiccan and am a reconstructionist, which seems to be a smaller field with less bandying about of such terms (mind you, I've never really mixed with other pagans/recons/etc. much before now, either), but if I did get accused of fluffiness, I think I'd just be highly amused. The accuser clearly wouldn't know me very well. :lol:

[aranarose]

Could care less if someone thinks I'm fluffy, though I highly doubt they would. I tend to be the one that people think is scary and wired. I practice my own version of kitchen witchery mixed with Hoodoo that scares most people off when they see my altar.

I've found that most people who sling the "fluffy" insult around are really insecure about their own beliefs and/or practices and are just trying to make themselves feel better.

[Libris]

Nah, I don't worry about people thinking I'm fluffy.

eta: because I'm not. :p

[AdorablyDead]

I've never really cared what people thought. I love Charmed and The Craft, the actresse that plays that Nancy chick is friggin' hawt! lol.

I don't understand the term fluffy bunny that much. I mean so what if someone wants to do just good things and cast only good magic. Great, the world needs better karma in it. But when you start getting facts wrong and saying things like if a witch casts a hex on someone or whatever and uses "bad" magic then they're not really a wiccan and try and typecast all wiccans into one role or thing. Or think that the world and everything in it is nothing but good....then that's just stupid and you need a reality check.

So to answer the question no, I don't care what people think.

[DarkWater]

For some reason I can't ever imagine anyone saying I was fluffy. I'm too long in the tooth to really care if someone did happen to call me such though.

[RenDjembe]

Does watching Touched By An Angel make you a Fluffy Christian?

Sorry couldn't resist :lookwhats

[cheddarsox]

Does watching Touched By An Angel make you a Fluffy Christian?

Sorry couldn't resist :lookwhats

It does in my book.

Not nice, but true.

[Stormwt]

I answered no but I know what you mean. I never wore a pentacle at school because I didn't want to be associated with the "look at me I'm a witch and I'm gonna put a curse on you" idiots. lol

[NeoNomad]

I'll be one to stand up and be counted as someone who does worry what other pagan people would think about what I say and do. I have been pagan in belief and philosophy for over ten years now, but am a relative newbie when it comes to putting it into practice. I find myself chosing my converstions wisely - so as not to embarass myself in gross fashion. I am a people pleaser at heart, and hate to offend by word or deed. (It may be misguided, but it's true.)

I've never let it affect which types of entertainment I choose to enjoy though. I really like most all of the shows mentions in the threads above - for their entertainment factor alone, not that I believe they are at all representative of true pagan beliefs or practices.

[imapepper]

No way, life is too full of way more interesting experiences and things than to worry about what people think of you, or vice versa, to go around judging others and calling them names. I think the whole judgement thing is a waste of time and energy, I'd rather be out having fun without worrying about how I'm perceived, than to repress myself for fear of being ridiculed. People who call other people names sound pretty bored, and boring to me. Live and let live, that's how I feel.

[Rachel]

Back when I was the more "traditional" Neo-Pagan (... I don't even know how to define that, but oh well!) I was never afraid of coming across as a fluff; but I am now that I can't even come up with a name to describe my faith. I can really only say that I'm "spiritual," which holds negative connotations to me. I can't help but imagine some young blond chick in pigtails who thinks she's super enlightened and open to eastern culture because she takes a yoga class once a month and eats thai food, or something. I guess I need to stop being afraid of stereotypes and forget anyone who may have a problem with me.

[MonSno_LeeDra]

I guess I have never really worried about what others though. I atribute that to a few base level beliefs.

1. No one but me can make me or break me so what another thinks of me doesn't matter.

2. I was pagan when pagan wasn't cool so the fade for me was long gone many years ago.

3. If thier not on my FFP plan then they don't have a vote. (F- feeding : F - F**king or P - Paying my bills)

[Brightshores]

I don't care if people think I'm fluffy or not.

I'm not even sure what "fluffy" means at this point.

If it's people who choose to focus on a positive path and work for the betterment of the world - then yup, I'm fluffy and proud of it. I also don't see anything wrong with this. One does not have to focus on "the dark side" to have a valid spiritual path.

If it's people who try to do the "I'm more pagan than you are" thing, wear head-to-toe black and pewter pentacle and dragon pendants, and shout continuously about their empathic, psychic, and magical powers, then I couldn't be less fluffy. My spirituality is private, and I feel no need to broadcast it to the world in order to validate my beliefs.

If "fluffy" is simply a derogatory term for people who are new to Paganism and/or Wicca, then I have absolutely no use for the term. Everyone is new at some point - the quickest way to keep Paganism to the fringes of society is to scare all the new people and spiritual seekers away with crap about "fluffiness."

Anyway - I've seen Charmed a few times - I thought it was OK, if a bit silly in places. I've never seen Buffy or The Craft - so I can't comment.

[cheddarsox]

I live in a primarily Christian society, and the pagans I know in real time are not of my trad...so pretty much everyone thinks my beliefs are fluffy, if only because they are different from theirs, or because I can't pull out a bunch of books on the history of my religion.

But, because they know ME, then don't think I'm fluffy, because I don't come across that way...they just think I am sort of weird and confused.

[SSanf]

I interrupt this thread for shameless self-promotion.

Not to plug my own forum or anything like that but I have posted tons of resources that if you become familiar with them, you will never need to feel fluffy. You will always be able to fall back on them to appear like a deep thinker to all you converse with.

Just toss in the "Riddle of Epicuris" and mention the "The Code of Hammurabi" in conversations and you are all set. You aren't fluffy any more! For advanced players, Spinoza should make you a slam dunk winner in intellectual one upmanship!

Oh, yeah. The forum is Paths: Non-Theistic.

See how helpful MW can be! LOL!

[Whitewolf]

I don't really care what other people think of me. I believe in embracing my dark side, as well as my light side. Balance is the key word here. That doesn't make me fluffy. If someone did think I was, I really wouldn't care anyway.

[Twinkle]

Having once been so fluffy I floated...I now no longer worry about it. I use primary and secondary sources to back up what I know, and when I speak on subjects, the vast majority of the time I can back up what I say with historical and cultural accuracy.

I no longer believe things because "it feels right to me", and I use critical thinking when I read. I don't take unverified personal gnosis and try to pass it off as historical fact, I don't "harm none"...because that's impossible...and I accept when I am proven wrong with facts...and learn from it.

I also know to question and challenge, and then research on my own to formulate my own educated opinion.

[wintermagick]

I agree lots with Twinkle, I went through my "fluffy float" stage too. In fact my sis and I were at one time part of a start at home coven that was so fluffy they could have filled up a pillow factory. We left highly disillusioned, and for me at least it was a long painful search as I seriously considered all forms of Paganism to be bunk. However I guess I consider myself a "student of life", and when the tough times really hit I found that it was really the Pagan elements of my life experience so far that got me through it all. I try also to no longer just do/say/believe "what feels right to me", and I'm also all about the research and seeing results in my life as well as the lives of other people. I guess, in a sense, this is where many Christian denominations have many of us beat... it is easy to see the manifestation of their faith in their lives.

I did actually mark "yes" on being afraid of appearing fluffy. Not so much because of caring what others really think, but because in truth I meet a lot of beyond fluffy Pagans... people who claim to be "the most powerful witch in Texas", "one of the best mystics in the world", and yet they are usually very uneducated, know very little history of anything, and generally can't even hold a job or make a car payment. So I marked "yes" simply because I would hope I wouldn't appear that way to anyone.

[Meadhbh]

I really don't care how people think about me. I'll admit it there was a time, many moon agao, when I was as fluffy as they came. But like a lot of people I sort of out grew it and lost fluff. It seems to me that fluff either grow out of their phase or move on to even fluffier paths.

[Tanya]

be what you are.

screw what people think.

[Zhr Morgana]

be what you are.

screw what people think.
I agree with this...still when I am around other Pagans on the rare occasions I do mingle with them, the fact of my being more of a solitary has hindered my self-image of myself as a Witch. I only follow what I know, so compared to others I am not sure if I am considered "fluffy" or not. I hope not!

[plumedsnake]

I guess that one would be hard press to find another fluffier than me. I take fluff to mean believing in love and light and goodness etc. Then I confess that I am a fully signed up fluff. However I'm not a Naive Fluff. The Fluffy part is to do with my ideals and my belief that they are attainable. I'm well aware of how far away humanity is from the ideals.

I ain't gonna pretend that life isn't a mess, but I believe that it can be fixed but that the road is gonna be hard (hard is actually such a loaded word but that's another discussion). First and toughest is getting people to just be honest with themselves and take a true look at their motivations. Most of what people believe is what they feel they need to believe. There are so many ulterior motives in the things people say and do and it's not like they are even being willfully dishonest. Their mendacity is so complete that they are it's first victims. They truly believe their own lies.

This applies to Non Fluffy people as much as it applies to Fluffy people. Many non fluffy people are the most deluded in their nonfluffiness.

[Halstrom]

Never have I worried about appearing to be fluffy, even when I was fluffy.

[deadoracle]

I must be so completely out of the lingo loop. Because my first thought if some one called me fluffy...would be a snipe about my fat butt, not in context to some tv show or movies I may or may not enjoy, and what my watching them would ever have to do with my abilities or convictions as a pagan.

Yes I have been known to watch Charmed
Yes I have seen the craft
Yes I have caught a few episodes of Buffy (spikes hot)

But what on earth does that have to do with the make up of my being.

I have also seen Hellraiser, Chucky, and Texas Chainsaw masacre and the ocasional viewing of the Smurfs... none of which has anything to do with how I should be seen I hope.

[Rudas Starblaze]

i dont think i would even qualify for the "evil bastard fluffy bunny" catagory. ok, so just plain ol' "evil bastard" is too good of a term for me..... hmmm... i should start my own thread to see what people think of me shouldnt i!? lol

[RivaWitch]

When I first started out. I was one of those peole who got offended by the sterotypical "Witch" images. It was like all of a sudden it was offensive to me.
I went from being one who LOVED Hallowe'en to one who despised it.
I would see that as being Fluffy.

Now I learn to enjoy Hallowe'en as much as Samhain. I also went as for as collecting figures and such of the ole Stereotypical witch! & I love it!!


Riva

[SariaMoon]

Back when I was allowed to show my religion, I wore a pentacle necklace and was refered to as a fluff....or told that I'm only doing it to get attention. I pretty much just wrote it off though because if they're saying that then they know nothing about me.

I still find it funny that people say that about wearing a necklace...I don't see anyone saying that to a christian that wears a cross.

[RivaWitch]

Back when I was allowed to show my religion, I wore a pentacle necklace and was refered to as a fluff....or told that I'm only doing it to get attention. I pretty much just wrote it off though because if they're saying that then they know nothing about me.

I still find it funny that people say that about wearing a necklace...I don't see anyone saying that to a christian that wears a cross.


That is something that gets my goat. Why is it when a Pagan is wearing a religious piece of jewelry we are shoving it in people's faces. But no one bats an eye when one is wearing a cross or a Star of David!


Riva

[David19]

That is something that gets my goat. Why is it when a Pagan is wearing a religious piece of jewelry we are shoving it in people's faces. But no one bats an eye when one is wearing a cross or a Star of David!


Riva

Kind of OT, but I haven't seen many Jews wear a Star of David, some might have them as decorations in their home, etc, but I've never seen them worn as pendants.

I do agree that wearing a piece of Pagan jewelry isn't pushing it into peoples faces and isn't fluffy, just like you have a right to wear a cross, etc, but I don't like it when you get some Pagans who'll deliberately wear, just to get attention (you know the type, they might wear an incredibly huge one, maybe dress in Gothic clothes or not, and deliberately try and provoke Christians or someone into commenting about their fashion or the pendant or whatever, then they'll scream "persecution").

[Anthony41671]

What is they dress like that every day...it's their style? Or do they have to dress down just to keep from pissing off the Christians?

[Deinarious]

I'm called fluffy every time I say something on a psionics forum, and I am not fluffy. Strangely though, never has a person who is a practicioner of magick ever referred to me like that.

Nevertheless, I take being called fluffy seriously. When people call me fluffy, I get angry. Because, in a way, calling someone fluffy is calling them a liar. And calling me a liar is a bad, bad idea.

But hey, those a******* at PsiNet (The only psionics commnity I belong to.) don't know anything really that's outside of psionics. They try to talk about things like otherkin and therians and things like that, but they know nothing. When someone mentions past lifes, they say "fluff". When I mentioned the possiblity of me being otherkin, therian, and the reincarnation of several historical figures, what did they say? "Fluff." The term fluff pisses me off.

I want to hurt them bad. Really bad. But since that would only accomplish me getting my arse handed to me on a silver platter, I won't.

[RivaWitch]

Kind of OT, but I haven't seen many Jews wear a Star of David, some might have them as decorations in their home, etc, but I've never seen them worn as pendants.

I do agree that wearing a piece of Pagan jewelry isn't pushing it into peoples faces and isn't fluffy, just like you have a right to wear a cross, etc, but I don't like it when you get some Pagans who'll deliberately wear, just to get attention (you know the type, they might wear an incredibly huge one, maybe dress in Gothic clothes or not, and deliberately try and provoke Christians or someone into commenting about their fashion or the pendant or whatever, then they'll scream "persecution").


What I was saying is I have been confronted with someone, they made a comment like "I get it your pagan do you need to flash the pentacle all the time? Can't you keep it to yourself?"

Mine is the size of a nickel.

[indigo rain]

i loved btvs and charmed both, i first heard the term wicca on btvs and thats actually what led me to wicca. before that, i wanted to be a witch, but didn't know real witches existed or what term they used for their religion. of course btvs wasn't realistic, but hey, it was entertaining, and that's all tv's supposed to be. am i a fluff? nope... i'm a tameran wiccan who works with qabala and shamanism, definitely not fluffy. but to the ppl who are... congrats! you're on your way to becoming a real witch, you just have a little growing up to do, that's all. don't we all?

[PrincessKLS]

No, I don't care if I appear fluffy or not, I've always like the light sided things in life. Heck I still get accused of being a teeny bopper from people who are kind of dark.

[Glowy]

no, I know I am fluffy to people I just meet ,hence I never say anything until they ask. I am out, but quiet about it.