Pagan/Xtian:

[kern]

Symbols
Alot of Xtian symbols originated with Paganism:The Cross,the Celtic Cross,The Easter Egg,the Xmass Tree,Halos,and others.

My question is how many of you use these symbols or like them?

For myself I love the Celtic Cross,the Xmass/Yule Tree and even like some art that Xtians use and have no qualms over wearing Celtic Crosses or other crosses or putting up a tree at Yule even though it was a Germanic custom it has become a tradition adpoted by most Americans and Brits whether you are Xtian or not.
And the Celtic Cross gets alot less strange looks than a Sunwheel or Wiccan pentacle.And Pagans can wear it without fear of a witch hunt.

[Brochfael]

I almost always wear a penannular or bow brooch on a fleece. I also have a bronze fertility goddess I sometimes wear around my neck. Then there's also Turkish eye beads which were being worn by Iron Age Britons and Celts.

The brooches rarely get a second glance and then only by people who want one. When you get down to it christians and especially fundaMENTAList ones are pretty ignorant about pagan symbology. The only one they'll really recognise is a pentagram and in my opinion anyone wearing an angled swastika is looking for a serious beating.

Aside from those and a ruddy great phallus, you're probably pretty safe.

[branynos]

I have to admit I don't like the Xmas/Yule tree while there may have been a vaguely generic "bring some greenery into the house" the story behind the Xmas tree is very Christian and anti pagan

Basically St Boniface cames across some heathens worshiping Thor at an oak tree, he chopped the tree down and a fir tree popped up from the trunk representing Christs eternal life and his eventiual triumph over heathenry.
Then as you say its Germanic not Brythonic and has only been in use in Britain since the Victorian era.
Even if I was to forgive/ignore all that well the whole business of chopping down trees every year to have them die slowly in my front room doesn't appeal
(I am of course a complete hypocrite because theres a plastic one stored under a bed as my son won't go without a tree at Xmas, but I'm working on him )

My spiritual symbol of choice is the spiral

[kern]

Brochfael said:

I almost always wear a penannular or bow brooch on a fleece. I also have a bronze fertility goddess I sometimes wear around my neck. Then there's also Turkish eye beads which were being worn by Iron Age Britons and Celts.

The brooches rarely get a second glance and then only by people who want one. When you get down to it christians and especially fundaMENTAListones are pretty ignorant about pagan symbology. The only one they'll really recognise is a pentagram and in my opinion anyone wearing an angled swastika is looking for a serious beating.

Aside from those and a ruddy great phallus, you're probably pretty safe.

I agree they are pretty ignorant an such things which reminds me yrs ago when attending a church thats wasnt mainstream,I learned that even the steeple is rooted in paganism,ancient pagans use to place poles or stakes(phallic symbols) on high places of worship.
True if you want to get a seriuos beating walk through a neighbor thats all black or Jewish with a Swastika.

[kern]

branynos said:

I have to admit I don't like the Xmas/Yule tree while there may have been a vaguely generic "bring some greenery into the house" the story behind the Xmas tree is very Christian and anti pagan

Basically St Boniface cames across some heathens worshiping Thor at an oak tree, he chopped the tree down and a fir tree popped up from the trunk representing Christs eternal life and his eventiual triumph over heathenry.
Then as you say its Germanic not Brythonic and has only been in use in Britain since the Victorian era.
Even if I was to forgive/ignore all that well the whole business of chopping down trees every year to have them die slowly in my front room doesn't appeal
(I am of course a complete hypocrite because theres a plastic one stored under a bed as my son won't go without a tree at Xmas, but I'm working on him )

My spiritual symbol of choice is the spiral

Well I too dont like the idea of chopping one down every yr,If I were to use a real tree it would have to be one that I planted and was potted just for that use then plant it in the ground following that then start over again.I use fake trees.And my wife and daughter loves them.

[siaron]

Well, being a bit of a crow/raven at heart, I really like shiny things...so I have a wonderful collection of neck pendants.

Favorites include: triskele (sp?)-triple spiral, Pictish/Celtic knot, double raven (designed by Jen Delth), raven figurine carved from black horn...oh, and a glass vial from the Chalice Well at Glastonbury with a decorative piece at the top in the shape of the well cover (there's another symbol the xtians appropriated-the fish!)

Pob Bendith,

Siaron

[Blackbird]

I think it's far too simplistic to describe such symbols as 'pagan or Christian'. And I'm suspicious of claims the the Christians nicked everything from the poor old pagans. In truth, each fed and feeds off the other.

I have some iron age jewellery that I wear all the time, and a medieval ring that I wear most of the time. I'm also the proud owner of two beautiful torcs ( modern!) I have a delicate silver one, and a magnificent heavy bronze one.

Re. the swastika, I know that many communities are now trying to reclaim it, after it was taken and twisted by the Nazis. There was a bit on the local news recently about some Hindus who were starting to incorporate it back into their sacred places, and I know some Heathens who use it again.

[kern]

Yeah there are some that have re-adopted the swastika,its sad that people like the KKK(With the Cross burning,ancient Celtic means for calling the clan to meetings) and the Nazi's with the many germanic symbols misused them and given them a bad reputation. I myself like some of the designs of the hooked cross(Bridgets Cross for one and have one on my wall that I made)but I dont wear a swastika as jewelry.

[Blackbird]

Nope, you'll not find me wearing a swastika either.

While intellectually I understand that it is an ancient symbol which was, like many things, appropriated and sullied by the Nazis - I feel it would be disrespectful to my Grandfathers who both fought in WWII to use it at all. Just my personal feeling, I have no problem with those who seek to reclaim it.

[jainewinterbourne]

The older I get, the less 'pagany' (new word again!) symbols I seem to wear. I wore a pentacle for years until I got involved in the pagan scene and had the 'armchair wiccan' experience! which put me off the pentacle for life (phobia?!). I like to work with rocks, crystals and trees and spirit animals so I often have a few of one or the other hanging off me!

In regards to the pagan/xtian stuff, I have 3 young children so I do tend to go along with the xtian stuff to some shallow degree, such as doing Christmas and Easter. To be honest these festivals are more commercial than religious to society generally and the children would feel 'left-out' or odd in comparison to their friends if the missed out. We do attempt to enlighten the children to the pagan way in a fun and light way too. The path they follow will be up to them but we want them to be aware of our beliefs too.

Jaine

[branynos]

JaineWinterbourne said:

In regards to the pagan/xtian stuff, I have 3 young children so I do tend to go along with the xtian stuff to some shallow degree, such as doing Christmas and Easter. To be honest these festivals are more commercial than religious to society generally and the children would feel 'left-out' or odd in comparison to their friends if the missed out. We do attempt to enlighten the children to the pagan way in a fun and light way too. The path they follow will be up to them but we want them to be aware of our beliefs too.

Jaine

I think its impossible to avoid celebrating those two if you have young children its more the reclaiming (or even stealing back ) of the modern Christmas and all its current trappings as belonging to a single pagan golden era that amuses/irritates me.

[Blackbird]

As far as I'm concerned, both those occasions are now so secular that it scarcely matters that they are Christian festivals

[kern]

My favorite secular holiday is Halloween...But I hate it when xtians try to tell me that is a satanic holiday and originally a holiday in honor of the imfamous Celtic god of the Dead known as Samhian...uggggggggh

I celebrate Halloween as a secular holiday for fun and keep Samhain as my religious festival.
Same with Xmas and Yule
I dont keep Easter any longer but do recognise Eostre as the spring Equinox.

[Blackbird]

Bit different over here - Hallowe'en isn't really celebrated as it is in America. Though I did notice an increase in shops selling tacky masks etc. last year, so we are probably going the same way

[jainewinterbourne]

Halloween is fortunately one of the few opportunities we get to do something with the children and something 'paganesque' at the same time!
We learned years ago not to attempt to do anything spiritual on the calendar day as the trick or treaters would disturb us, so we decided to go all out with the trick or treat daftness on Halloween and save the ritual event for later.

Jaine