The neighborhood boys pooled their money, a sum of 75 cents, and approached Bryony Dwale and her mother, members of Circle of Gaia Dreaming, an Athens group of about 40 followers of earth-centered religions. The giggling huddle shoved a 5-year-old boy to the front and asked the women to turn him into a frog.
Another time, a rumor circulated through the women's apartment complex that the Dwales stored a severed goat's head in their living room.
Those carpets stain
quipped Dwale, explaining why the rumor could not have been true.
Though the women's back and forth banter is as upbeat as a comic duo, their vignettes of the community member's misunderstanding walk the line between fodder for a comedy show and hurtful discrimination.
It has been the three years since the women came out of the broom closet and confided in friends and family that they are practicing Pagans. But afterward, Dwale felt she should have been more selective about whom she told. Now Dwale and her mother laugh at their anecdotes, but Dwale said she originally was hurt by ignorant questions and the gossip of her apartment complex.
It has been very educational Dwale said. It has helped us weed out who we can tell and who we can't be so blatant to.
While members of Circle of Gaia Dreaming may practice their faith differently, they all find spirituality in the connections they make with the world and one another through nature, according to the Circle of Gaia Dreaming Web site (http://www.gaiadreaming.org).
Other group members have had different experiences handling public perception of the their faith.
Krystal Bowen, an Ohio University graduate student of linguistics, said because she is a student in a liberal university town, she is able to be open about her beliefs. She uses the opportunity to answer inquiries and end misconceptions.
But her openness also has produced an array of awkward questions. Bowen wore her pentacle, the symbol of the goddess Venus, to a tutoring session; the man she was helping turned to her and asked earnestly: Do you consider yourself evil?
OU senior fine arts major Nikki Beard said she also has found the Athens community fairly tolerant of her beliefs.
The negativity surrounding Pagan beliefs from a Christian perspective originally sparked the curiosity of both Dwale and Beard. In investigating the misconceptions of earth-based religions, they uncovered the Pagan beliefs and practices that attracted them to the faith.
Bowen blames Hollywood movies for sensationalizing witches and skewing the public understanding of Pagan symbols such as the pentacle.
Some Christian groups foster intolerance by misinterpreting Pagan beliefs and rituals and accusing the Pagans of worshiping the devil, Dwale said.
The tension between the groups dates back to the Dark Ages when missionaries forced Pagans to convert to Christian beliefs, Beard said. Two misunderstandings served as the basis for centuries of intolerance. First, Christians mistook a horned Pagan god for Satan and second, the King James interpretation of the Bible contained the line thou shall not suffer a witch to live. The modern translation of the word witch now reads poisoner.
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Emily Patterson
