Well I don't know how to go about this gracefully.
A fall from grace is, well... a graceless act, after all.
After having my existential ass handed to me, I suppose it would be wise for me to apologize for my scathing rant about Witchcraft that was posted on the 13th of December. Apparently, I'm a complete idiot who knows nothing about Witchcraft. I draw this conclusion based on the sudden influx of Ask's I have received on the matter, as well reading through the various and sundry commentaries left by those who reblogged the post. (Which I had not noticed until a few sad moments ago, looking back through my logs.)
I shall not retract my overall statement. To me, Witchcraft shall always be first and foremost a religion. It is my religion. Gods forbid I should elect not to use the politically correct and socially acceptable appellation "Wicca."
However, I shall retract a few implications that seem to have been gleaned from my words. Firstly, I make no claim to be an authority on Witchcraft. Second, I make no claim that my cited sources are the only authorities on Witchcraft. I realize - quite well, might I add - that with Neo-paganism opening a doorway to so many paths, and furthermore, so many various interpretations of the tenets of those paths, it can be argued that "witchcraft" lacks anything required of a structured religion. I don't argue that. I acknowledge that it is so easily "personalized" to each practitioner that few fledgling witches ever really agree on anything. I experience that personally every day; none of the local witches are ever on the same page.
I don't mean to sound catty, but to whomever it was that told me to "read a few books" before posting anything about something I know "nothing" of... I'm sorry, have you seen my collection? Hm? Sounds like you're assuming I've only read from Buckland. I guess that's what it is then, people drawing conclusions left, right, and center.
But all of that aside. I have been quite well and duly shamed. Looking over my account, I have lost almost every single witchcraft- or spirituality-based Follower I ever had, since that post was passed around.
I respect everyone's right to disagree with someone's opinion. (That's what I was doing when I posted the thing, after all.) But I really must say, I miss the day where people had intelligent conversations about their disagreements. I would've invited the person to whom I was responding in the post in question to chat about things. I apologized first (and in closing!) for any potential to step on anyone's toes. I tried my level best to remain civil with it all.
Glad to see I was met with no such treatment in return.
Whatever will be, will be, I suppose. No worries, though, none shall see nary a further post on the subjects of Witchcraft, Paganism, Wicca, or anything related, on this blog, unless it be reblogged from another source, without modification or alteration. I shan't step out of my line of service... but I shan't tire my fingers writing things that no one wants to hear, either.
I suppose I shall now await the next baptism of fire. And I know this sounds cowardly, but after the explosion in my Ask box this evening, I'm disabling Ask's. I can handle intelligent discussion, but the blatant hate-spam that was leveled at me...
And yes, I tagged those who appeared in my log to have responded to the post in question, but for no purpose other than to let you all know, I have quite well and clearly been put in my place.
