My Father's Memorial Service

[mitchellmckain]

My father passed away this year and his memoral service was conducted by a couple of Wiccan ministers (in Jemez Springs New Mexico). It was not really a Wiccan service because my father was not even Wiccan but rather more Taoist than anything else so they did some research, I suppose, and adapted their service to call upon the figures of Chinese mythology.

After the service I went to sit next the them to see if I could strike up a conversation but they were standoffish -- almost giving me the evil eye metaphorically speaking. Well maybe they heard that my father's eldest son was a Christian, I don't know. I can certainly understand that many Wiccan's might be a little "gun shy" so to speak, but it did leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth (there I go with the metaphors again).

Anyway as my thoughts kept returning to this over and over since then, I thought if only I knew some Wiccans I could talk this over with... and then I thought of this forum.

 

[dieingchild]

Well I'm sorry they were so off puting to you, It really does nothing but reflect badly on the community.
Ask anything you want here, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Ahanit]

I am no Wicca but I have many Wicca Friends and made more than one Ritual with them...

I do not understand why they do not really talk with you, haven't they explained their Work before the "service"?

The Wicca in Europe and America have some different thought about the Religions and their interaction. Here in Germany I know that there is no Prob what religion one has, all are welcome, if they are open and have the wish to understand and take part. The discussion before and after a Work/Ritual is a normal and wished part of the hohle Ritual.

May be in America they count otherwise...

I can ty to answer your questions if you wish

 

[Venatoris]

Hey Mitch, sorry for your loss.
My father passed away when I was 10 years old and I had a very similar experience. Most of my friends, even relatives, were very stand-offish when talking to me. I think the real reason for this is that death makes people feel uncomfortable and they don't know how to conduct themselves within that context. I don't think it's your religious affiliation but rather your proximity to tragedy that makes people unable to speak openly.

 

[mitchellmckain]

Have any of you read the young adult novel, "Sorceress" by Celia Rees? No reference to Wicca there but certainly to witch trials, Native American religion and certainly a lot the of the rather awful history of supposedly "Christian" people. It is rather easy to sympathize with why the protagonist (who was shall we say "gifted") would very much prefer living with the Native Americans.

The historical content of the book that was rather interesting was how it showed that the "French and Indian wars" rather largely consisted of the extermination of the Native American population in the Eastern half of the United States.

...anyway...

As for those two Wiccan ministers... well I can put it down to their own person problem rather than anything to do with the Wiccan community. For example, these two may have been lesbian and that may have had more to do with it than their religion.