Shopping Tips and Guidance by Mandy Claire

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," spreading joy as if it were Jif and the bread was the size of Texas! Tra la la!

Ah, sheesh. I'm exhausted. Being a second-year teacher is no easier than being a first-year teacher.

Below I posted a link to a rant by a British right-winger who excoriated Druids and the recent government decision in the UK to grant charitable trust status to Druids. You'll see there are comments under my link, and some of them are terrific.

Here's what I think about getting a tax-free status as a faith.

If you've got loosely-associated people in parts of your country who are communicating and doing similar Rituals to similar deities, and all those people opt to be called Druids, or Wiccans, or Pastafarians, then to me, that's a religion. Some people object to the word "religion," seeing it as weighted and freighted with baggage and expectations. Well, by the same light we ought to object to the word Pagan, as its original meaning is "backward."

Let us put all semantics aside, all quarrels and woes, and join with our UK Druid kindred in blessing the Great Celtic Deities and honoring the sanctity of the Earth!

When it came to warfare, the Celts were not pansies. They could smite with force. But within their society, the Druids were the lawgivers, the poets, the teachers, the composers, the singers, and the historians. A very fine group to make a comeback, if you ask me.

As we Pagans step out into the light, remember that Druid gatherings are open to anyone who doesn't sneer, and they are egalitarian as far as they can be. (Deference is usually paid to the person who knows the most Craft, so long as that person doesn't get carried away by ego.) I'm preaching to the choir here, but if you want to see what Druidry is all about, seek out your nearest OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids) or ADF (Ár nDraíocht Féin) by way of websites.

We may be a religion, but you don't need to bring a casserole. See you there!