I will start this article by asking a question; "What in the world is going on in Paganism??" We are supposed to be some of the most tolerant people in the world, yet we condemn our own kind for having different viewpoints. I have seen many pagan websites boast that they are tolerant towards the earth and the people that dwell within this earth, no matter what path they are on, but on the next page they will totally disgrace the "fluffy bunny pagan". Why in the world is this?

Before I go any further, let me first explain what a fluffy bunny is for those of you that do not know. I really hate to even put this definition on my site because I am so against this term, but this article will not make sense if you do not know what a fluffy bunny is. In a nutshell and in my own words, a fluffy bunny is a follows, “A Wiccan or neo-pagan new to the Craft and/or one that only sees the lighter, happier side of the Deities. One that is not serious about studies in the Craft, or says they are Wiccan just for attention. Fluffy Bunnies are sometimes called Fuzzy Bunnies, Silly Pagans and/or White Lighters. ”

Now, I do not know who started this term, but I can tell you that it is spreading like wild-fire on the internet. One in about every ten Pagan sites that I run across have something to say about fluffy bunnies, and usually it is negative. Some of these sites are very knowledgeable…perhaps too knowledgeable….and it does not seem as if they would say such things about their brothers and sisters of the Craft. I don’t know if these people think they are "holier then thou", but if they do think this, they need to get the idea out of their head right now. No one idea is necessarily correct nor wrong, and every person has the right to worship and practice as they see fit. That is what Wicca is about after all... individualism. If these "holier then thou pagans" were truly knowledgeable, they would take the so called fluffy bunnies under their wings, and guide them along the more correct path, or at least befriend them so they know they are not alone; not call them names and make them feel bad about being a Witch.

I have even seen one website that went so far to disgrace these poor Pagans by saying “I for one would prefer for them [fluffy bunnies] to stop embarrassing the rest of us with their antics.” A statement such as that embarrasses me personally, not fluffy bunnies! The path of the Goddess and God is not one of embarrassment, and these poor Pagans should not have to feel bad about the road they take to the Ancient Ones.

Those Notorious Antics....

How could they not know what the Burning Times were about? Anyone who made it to High School knows at least a little bit about the Witchcraft holocaust. Look in any school age history book, and you will see pages upon pages about the European witchcraft persecutions and the Salem Witch trials. Most people know that the burning times were more then just men and women being tied to the stake, but it would be really impractical to say, "Never again the burning, hanging, boiling in oil, drowning, being crush to death, or being tortured beyond recognition whether you’re really a Witch or not times!"

While it is true that magick has no color, I see nothing wrong with a Witch saying that he/she practices white magick. This term implies that the Witch tries to practice magick to the highest good, instead of causing harm. (And yes, some Witches do cause harm. I have personally been exposed to unethical Witches before.) The color white is very pure and has always been associated with good energies. Most rituals and meditations use white as visualization such as, "See the Goddess descend from above in a spiral of white light or see yourself surrounded in a pure white light of positive energy, etc..." The color white has long been associated with good forces of the universe, so any Witch has the right to call herself a White Witch if she so chooses.

I cannot speak for everyone on this matter, because we all learn at different paces. But I can speak from my own personal experience and in the beginning of my studies I loved Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham, and based my practice from their books. But, as time went on I discovered many other wonderful authors, and shaped my practice from their teachings as well. Buckland and Cunningham opened the doors for me and I still love them to this day.

It is said that spelling magic(k) with a "K" differentiates occult magic(k) from stage magic or illusions, and I tend to agree with this statement. Even though spelling it with a "K" is certainly not ancient, it doesn’t make it any less valid. If I’m not mistaken, Aleister Crowley is credited with attaching the "K" to the word magic and I personally thank him for it. Because for me, when I see the word magick, I instantly know the that the subject matter or paragraph is talking about occult arts and not something fictitious. The word magick is already in my mindset, so it leaves me no confusion and I know MANY people feel the way I do.

This statement is simply not true. I have spoken to many teenagers and young adults over the past 4-5 years as a webmaster/ mentor and not ONE of them have ever told me that they chose this path to rebel against their parents or to receive attention from them. They all truly feel in their hearts that the path of paganism is the true path for them. Of course, most of the teenagers I have spoken to have been confused about how to tell their parents since their parents are usually Christian and/or not open minded, but not one of them have told me they chose this path to piss off their family. So, to label a confused teenager as a fluffy bunny is a totally absurd and self-centered statement. It’s more or less telling them that since they are not as old and "wise" as you are, then they do not have the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their spirituality.

Well, I could go on and on, but I think you get my point by now. This world is a melding pot of greed, hate, lies and discrimination, so it seems totally ridiculous to add to fuel to the fire. Society in general is pretty hard on the Pagan population already, so why should we shun and condemn our own kind? We get enough of strife from non-pagans, we certainly don’t need to add it it.

I will close this article by making a plea; please everyone….let us cast aside our differences and embrace one another for who we are. We are only as strong as our weakest link and I feel that Pagans that discriminate against other Pagans makes for a very weak link indeed. If we don’t stop this nonsense we will surly crumble.

If you feel the same way I do, please feel free to take this graphic and place it on your own website and/or blog. Please link it to http://www.magickalpair.net/accept.html so others can read the article too. Thank you for your support!