I was one of those people who felt a little…not quite attacked, but more hesitant to digest what a lot of hardcore Reconstructionists have been saying about how one should practice.
I’m combatting this bias right now by reading what they’ve been saying, in small chunks, on tumblr because I think it’s really important to learn and grow, not only spiritually, but as a person by consuming other’s opinions. Naturally; if the opinion is just hate or anything to that effect I’m excluding that.
I think many of them, when pointing out certain modern offerings or practices are “wrong” for whatever reason, come off as very authoritative and it can definitely bring up a lot of defensive feelings for a lot of reasons. It makes sense it would when seeing that certain modern practices or offerings, which may be the only thing you feel like you can do for the moment, or mean a lot to you, are considered bad in any way. Especially when, like me, you have the constant anxiety of doing things “wrong” and needing to do everything “right”.
I think learning to accept that your practice is your own and may look different to others, regardless of their opinion, is important. And it’s okay if not everyone agrees with it. I often offer crystals and cool rocks to the Gods (I have a collection of about 60 now, which I’ve put a lot of money into, dedicated solely to them, including a list of each crystal and who I associate them with), which is quite modern and may bring up some ire from others. But that’s okay. I think once you become at peace with this, reading other’s opinions might get a little easier - and you may learn valuable things from them too.
