Social pressure: Those who cannot hear the music think the dancers mad.
So, for those of you who don't know, my house has been taken over by Harry Potter mania as the date of the final book approaches.
Actually, to be perfectly accurate, it's been taken over by magic and Slytherin/Snape mania. Because we don't really like Harry. But the hottness, the intellectual perfection that is Snape? Yes, please. (The fact that Alan-be-still-my-heart-Rickman portrays him only adds to the appeal.)
But it leads to some... interesting... questions and challenges. You see, the kid and I are both the type of people that use a passion as a jumping off point to More Knowledge. Always have been, probably always will be. We like to Know Stuff, to absorb all aspects of a topic and to learn about ancillary topics that correlate to the main topic and which often become passions in their own right. (For example: when I was a teen I was passionately interested in the TV show "quantum leap" because of its EFX.. and leading man. *blush* BUT because of that show I learned about how to write/format a TV script, how to generate travelling mattes, special effects, studied physics and quantum physics in college, read A Brief History of Time and learned about things like the Pauli Exclusion principle, Heisenberg and now have branched into investigating top-down cosmology. Every interest sparks a new interest; we're just a curious sort like that.)
So she's not satisfied reading the books and being excited about the next point. Or even reading the 'theories' pages on muggle.net and its ilk. No, from there she learns about latin (origins of spell names, etc) origins of names (did you know that Severus and Tobias are both types of spiders?) history (Severus, Leucius and Peter -- all pivotal characters in the book -- are also all saints known as the Confessors, famous for being brutally killed for vocally stating their support of Christ; the Hitler-Voldemort parallels), paranormal studies, astronomy, and much, much, much more. It turns a really good book series into a really RICH interdisciplinary experience, and I approve.
And, of course, Wicca.
And here's where it gets a bit sticky.
A bit of backstory: I grew up without a religion. I mean, we were always Christians but we were never religious about it, if you get my drift. We did a week of bible camp, that's about it. No church (in spite of the fact that my grandpa is a minister). It just wasn't high on my parent's hit parade.
And for the most part, that's how I'm raising my kid -- I am not going to tell her what to believe, you have to come to that on your own is my theory. I share with her what *I* believe, but let her know about everything else out there (we attended a Seder on passover, went to a Christian church on Easter eve, I taught her about Ramadan as much as I + google could, and we've talked about Taoism and there's so much Else to know). But I want to let her make her own choices.
My beliefs? Well, I'm Christian, absolutely, and completely believe and love God and Jesus. I believe in the resurrection.
But.
I also believe -- one of my core life beliefs -- that we don't know so much. I have had experiences with spirits and 'supernatural' stuff (I'll tell you a story sometime about that). I believe that alien life is possible. I believe that we simply know very, very little. I also believe that just because it's not in the bible doesn't mean it's not valid-- I see the bible as "life's need-to-know primer". God didn't put everything HE knows in that book (and let's not even go there on all the biblical accounts that didn't make the cut, the translations, interpretations, etc....) ...but there is some good basic stuff in there, and even THAT I'm still learning about.
A lot of the principles of wicca make sense to me, and some I incorporate into my own spiritual path... like I see parallels between prayer to God and putting forth 'positive energy' spells to achieve a result, and parallels between homeopathic therapy, medicine, and wiccan 'potions'... isn't it all kind of the same but with a different wrapper; different paths to the same destination? Point is, I don't KNOW, and won't know unless I investigate.
And Kix is of the same mindset, at least on that last point.
So she wants to investigate wicca a bit-- at least some of the more fun high notes of it, and mostly from a for-play, because she likes Harry Potter's world and it's interesting that it has roots in something real.
But I know that she shares what she discovers with her friends.
Her friends, whose moms are my friends. Who are, in some cases, already a little uncomfortable about HP WITHOUT wicca-- concerned that they will all turn into pot-smokin' goths.
Meanwhile the third grade is in a total frenzy about HP, at least to hear my kid tell it... to the point that the big playground question is "Gryffindor or Slytherin" and many of them came dressed as Hogwart's kids for storybook day (it was REALLY funny to see the robed students marching in.) To the point that they meet at recess at a "common room" and they are now assigning subjects to teach (Kix, who has been named Slytherin head of house, has taken on potions. Hee. Of course. But you know, she's always been into chemistry/mixology... ;) She may be a natural!)
So, on one hand I'm totally down with letting her investigate and learn about wicca (she wants to go to the Green Dragon in Ybor and buy a small cauldron -- with her own money-- and a spell or two and just investigate) and we talk about the reality of this being some people's (including her dad) actual RELIGION and what does that mean, and how to respect that and that it's not a game, and whether there *is* energy that can be drawn from nature and why people believe that and do spells really work or is it because you THINK they will work and all that philosophical stuff.
On the other hand, I know that what she knows, to some extent, she'll share. She's passionate and curious and eager to discuss with her contemporaries her new discoveries.
And I know that might result in some moms not wanting their kids playing with her, if she says the wrong thing.
And yet should I really let that affect us, or should we just carry on and do what feels right to us and not worry about social fallout? Am I leading my kid to as my friend said, a future as a pot-smoking goth with no love of the Lord in her heart? (here, I'm a little tongue in cheek. but while white magick doesn't bother me, I DO worry that she'll be more interested in dark magick, because I know her...)
I know the answer, in my heart. But I'm just thinking in text here, trying to find balance and a firm place to stand on the topic. Opinions welcome.
Actually, to be perfectly accurate, it's been taken over by magic and Slytherin/Snape mania. Because we don't really like Harry. But the hottness, the intellectual perfection that is Snape? Yes, please. (The fact that Alan-be-still-my-heart-Rickman portrays him only adds to the appeal.)
But it leads to some... interesting... questions and challenges. You see, the kid and I are both the type of people that use a passion as a jumping off point to More Knowledge. Always have been, probably always will be. We like to Know Stuff, to absorb all aspects of a topic and to learn about ancillary topics that correlate to the main topic and which often become passions in their own right. (For example: when I was a teen I was passionately interested in the TV show "quantum leap" because of its EFX.. and leading man. *blush* BUT because of that show I learned about how to write/format a TV script, how to generate travelling mattes, special effects, studied physics and quantum physics in college, read A Brief History of Time and learned about things like the Pauli Exclusion principle, Heisenberg and now have branched into investigating top-down cosmology. Every interest sparks a new interest; we're just a curious sort like that.)
So she's not satisfied reading the books and being excited about the next point. Or even reading the 'theories' pages on muggle.net and its ilk. No, from there she learns about latin (origins of spell names, etc) origins of names (did you know that Severus and Tobias are both types of spiders?) history (Severus, Leucius and Peter -- all pivotal characters in the book -- are also all saints known as the Confessors, famous for being brutally killed for vocally stating their support of Christ; the Hitler-Voldemort parallels), paranormal studies, astronomy, and much, much, much more. It turns a really good book series into a really RICH interdisciplinary experience, and I approve.
And, of course, Wicca.
And here's where it gets a bit sticky.
A bit of backstory: I grew up without a religion. I mean, we were always Christians but we were never religious about it, if you get my drift. We did a week of bible camp, that's about it. No church (in spite of the fact that my grandpa is a minister). It just wasn't high on my parent's hit parade.
And for the most part, that's how I'm raising my kid -- I am not going to tell her what to believe, you have to come to that on your own is my theory. I share with her what *I* believe, but let her know about everything else out there (we attended a Seder on passover, went to a Christian church on Easter eve, I taught her about Ramadan as much as I + google could, and we've talked about Taoism and there's so much Else to know). But I want to let her make her own choices.
My beliefs? Well, I'm Christian, absolutely, and completely believe and love God and Jesus. I believe in the resurrection.
But.
I also believe -- one of my core life beliefs -- that we don't know so much. I have had experiences with spirits and 'supernatural' stuff (I'll tell you a story sometime about that). I believe that alien life is possible. I believe that we simply know very, very little. I also believe that just because it's not in the bible doesn't mean it's not valid-- I see the bible as "life's need-to-know primer". God didn't put everything HE knows in that book (and let's not even go there on all the biblical accounts that didn't make the cut, the translations, interpretations, etc....) ...but there is some good basic stuff in there, and even THAT I'm still learning about.
A lot of the principles of wicca make sense to me, and some I incorporate into my own spiritual path... like I see parallels between prayer to God and putting forth 'positive energy' spells to achieve a result, and parallels between homeopathic therapy, medicine, and wiccan 'potions'... isn't it all kind of the same but with a different wrapper; different paths to the same destination? Point is, I don't KNOW, and won't know unless I investigate.
And Kix is of the same mindset, at least on that last point.
So she wants to investigate wicca a bit-- at least some of the more fun high notes of it, and mostly from a for-play, because she likes Harry Potter's world and it's interesting that it has roots in something real.
But I know that she shares what she discovers with her friends.
Her friends, whose moms are my friends. Who are, in some cases, already a little uncomfortable about HP WITHOUT wicca-- concerned that they will all turn into pot-smokin' goths.
Meanwhile the third grade is in a total frenzy about HP, at least to hear my kid tell it... to the point that the big playground question is "Gryffindor or Slytherin" and many of them came dressed as Hogwart's kids for storybook day (it was REALLY funny to see the robed students marching in.) To the point that they meet at recess at a "common room" and they are now assigning subjects to teach (Kix, who has been named Slytherin head of house, has taken on potions. Hee. Of course. But you know, she's always been into chemistry/mixology... ;) She may be a natural!)
So, on one hand I'm totally down with letting her investigate and learn about wicca (she wants to go to the Green Dragon in Ybor and buy a small cauldron -- with her own money-- and a spell or two and just investigate) and we talk about the reality of this being some people's (including her dad) actual RELIGION and what does that mean, and how to respect that and that it's not a game, and whether there *is* energy that can be drawn from nature and why people believe that and do spells really work or is it because you THINK they will work and all that philosophical stuff.
On the other hand, I know that what she knows, to some extent, she'll share. She's passionate and curious and eager to discuss with her contemporaries her new discoveries.
And I know that might result in some moms not wanting their kids playing with her, if she says the wrong thing.
And yet should I really let that affect us, or should we just carry on and do what feels right to us and not worry about social fallout? Am I leading my kid to as my friend said, a future as a pot-smoking goth with no love of the Lord in her heart? (here, I'm a little tongue in cheek. but while white magick doesn't bother me, I DO worry that she'll be more interested in dark magick, because I know her...)
I know the answer, in my heart. But I'm just thinking in text here, trying to find balance and a firm place to stand on the topic. Opinions welcome.