As I write this many people in the Pagan/Polytheist community are preparing for Candlemas/Imbolc/Brigid on the 2nd of February. I, however, am not. I do NOT “celebrate” the “Wheel of the Year” the way my Wiccan and Druidic brothers and sisters do. I do NOT divide the year into eight equal slices like a pizza — each slice with its own seasonal topping. Instead, I use the Athenian Festival calendar for religious purposes.

According to the version that I have, the next festival is not until almost a week after the more prevalent one this year and it is the festival of the Theogamia, celebrating the marriage of Zeus and Hera. It is the festival that I am preparing for and I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the implied pressure of the Celtic-themed chatter in the Pagan/Polytheist cybersphere…..

But, it is important to remember for all of us that there is enough room for all faiths and all Gods. I plan on continuing to hold up my little corner of the cyberverse — even if I feel about as strong as tissue when marble is needed. Why? Because Pagan/Polytheist does not have to equal Celtic-based and if I don’t hold up my end, I may be the cause of another generation having to repeat what mine is going through…. Struggling upstream like a salmon just to be authentically who WE are.