Origin Story



THE OUTSIDE PIGEON 


I'm a 50-year-old Christopagan.
Huh?! Right? I know... Here's how I got from Evangelical to Witchy Christian
My faith history runs the gamut from United Church of Christ to Assemblies of God to Baptist to Vineyard to Methodist. I even spent some time with a group of charismatic catholic ladies (that was amazing!) Then to total religious deconstruction. The lead up to that is another story for another time. But the seeds were there for a long time in the form of lingering questions and doubts that I had been afraid to dig into very deeply. In all of that, my love for Jesus, the Christ, the Spirit, God... has never wavered. My interest in and draw toward the metaphysical has always been there – but my early programming kept me away from diving in. For a long time, I followed along with the notion that those things were ‘counterfeit’ or deceptive. Believing that way caused a lot of anxiety. Despite that, I was able to tap in through the charismatic church where we practiced getting ‘words of knowledge’ (AKA divination! LOL!), healing/hands on prayer, communicating with angels, etc. I helped start a Sozo Ministry at a Vineyard church I attended (Sozo is an emotional healing and deliverance ministry), taught prayer classes, and did Stephen Ministry training. I also sang on various worship teams (met my musician husband along the way who led one of them). After deconstructing, I didn’t want to have much at all to do with church. I was burned out, I was disillusioned by much of the limiting, judgmental, subtly sexist, right-wing attitudes that surrounded me.
My maternal grandfather immigrated to the US from Scotland and my Grandmother from Wales so last Lent (2021) I decided to see what Celtic traditions might have to offer in terms of practices I could incorporate into my daily life. It’s a long story, but Spirit led me here – into these earthy, ancient, and even newer practices (like Tarot and Oracle). It all feels very comfortable and oddly familiar. I took to Oracle and Tarot cards like a fish to water and I can’t get enough of learning about them. I also have it on my list to study more about Astrology and to take a deeper dive into more healing arts. All of it connects me to the Divine in a way that my church upbringing never did. Daily devotionals always felt forced and obligatory and never stuck. But now I look forward to my morning times in my sacred space with a candle, and my cards (and my cats and dog usually nearby to help!). Holy Spirit communicates with me there in a way that gets my head out of the way.

I am thankful for all of those past years and all my wonderful teachers along the way, for a strong foundation. Nothing is ever wasted. But now is the time to discover my own path. It is an awkward place to be a Christian Witch or a Christopagan, or whatever term you want to use. Critics from both sides want to say we don’t belong or we can’t be. And yet here we are...Here I am. If sharing my journey as I go can help someone else stumble through, then it is worth it all.

Blessed Be! May the Light be always in your heart! Here is my handsome man:


 
 





  



 








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