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Poll

Do you wear a Pentacle?

es, Inside my shirt
45 (16.5%)
es, Outside my shirt
61 (22.3%)
o
33 (12.1%)
 wear a different symbol
134 (49.1%)

Total Members Voted: 229

Author Topic: Wearing your Pentacle in public?  (Read 40878 times)

8BitLady

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Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« on: July 11, 2011, 06:51:35 pm »
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

So when I decided to start back up with Wicca/Paganism, I wanted something that would be a constant reminder to myself that I have chosen this path. And I found a perfect little Pentacle necklace, it's about 1". :)
The cord I currently have brings the pentacle about halfway between my collarbone and breastbone. So when I wear certain shirts, it's visible...
But, I feel that when i wear my necklace in public, people treat me different, or, as soon as they see that necklace they are apprehensive of me?
For a time it bugged me, and I stopped wearing the necklace, which made me start lacking in my religion, big time. :mad:
So now I wear it again, and now I am getting the feeling people are feeling weird near me again.
Your thoughts? Thanks :D

Jubes

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2011, 07:19:52 pm »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?


 
I voted  no  because   the  chain on mine broke and  now  it  just sits in  my  purse. When the  chain wasn't broken I'd  wear it all the time and  it  depended on where I was  and who I was with  weather  it  would be inside  or  outside my  shirt, but  for the most part  it  was  where  ever it landed when I  put  my  shirt on in the morning. Let  me tell you I got some  weird looks  at the school a few times until I  realized  that  it  was  hanging out  of  my shirt.
Armed with  common sense and worldly ways.......

victoreia

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2011, 10:03:05 pm »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

 
I have two necklaces, a pair of earrings, and a ring. I wear the ring 24/7, and usually one or the other of the necklaces. (I misplaced one of the earrings a couple of months ago, but I sometimes wear the one with an amethyst earring which lost its mate.)
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outlaw393

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2011, 10:16:03 pm »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

So when I decided to start back up with Wicca/Paganism, I wanted something that would be a constant reminder to myself that I have chosen this path. And I found a perfect little Pentacle necklace, it's about 1". :)
The cord I currently have brings the pentacle about halfway between my collarbone and breastbone. So when I wear certain shirts, it's visible...
But, I feel that when i wear my necklace in public, people treat me different, or, as soon as they see that necklace they are apprehensive of me?
For a time it bugged me, and I stopped wearing the necklace, which made me start lacking in my religion, big time. :mad:
So now I wear it again, and now I am getting the feeling people are feeling weird near me again.
Your thoughts? Thanks :D

 
I've been wearing a pentacle for years in plain view. My deal is - I don't care what anyone thinks, and if they have questions I will answer them. I also have the right to ignore any bad remarks or stupid questions. :)
Conformity is the death of individualism

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2011, 11:12:18 pm »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

I do own (maybe it's 2 pieces now?) with pentacles on them - I do not wear them in public spaces unless I'm doing the public Pagan thing (Pagan Pride, for example.)

I do wear a range of jewelry items that are meaningful to me: most of these look like interesting but not religious jewelry (I have a good friend who's a jewelry maker: her pieces run energy amazingly well.)

I have a couple of other pieces that have a strong religious meaning for me (they have an image of a phoenix in some form, which is highly relevant to my particular tradition), but most people don't recognise that they're a religious symbol.

For me, it isn't - and hasn't been - about being public or not public directly. It's about what's appropriate for the job I've been doing (for 10 of the past 11 years, working in the library of a non-religious private/independent school with people from a variety of religious paths.) I'm about to start a job in a small university setting, and I expect to do the same basic thing (though I'll be in public spaces less of the time.)

As a librarian, I interact with tons of different people most days, and many of them, I see for 10 or 15 minutes, and then they go off and do other things, and I may not see them again for weeks, months, or ever. And there's often other people around, who may over hear bits and pieces, come into the space I'm in mid-conversation, etc.

If I'm wearing jewelry that affects that - whether it's because it makes them uncomfortable, or whether it's because I get a very enthusiastic 20 minute conversation out of someone - I'm doing something that limits my ability to do my job. And that's not cool.

So, I save the obvious religious jewelry for other occasions. And in practice (because librarians get stopped for conversation in grocery stores, coffee shops, gas stations, and everywhere else that is not work!) I don't wear them unless I'm directly going to an appropriate religious event, or I'm somewhere where being obviously public is part of the point.

One of the reasons I have several pieces of phoenix jewelry, though (besides the fact they're different in style...) is that I fairly regularly have people look at them and making an opening pass at a conversation (if they're also Pagan), and then we can decide how we want to continue the conversation.

(For example, I might say "It's important to my religious life", they might say "Oh, really? I'm Pagan and..." and I might say "Y'know, I'd love to talk to you more about this, but not while I'm at work. Want to meet for coffee sometime?" and we can go on from there in a more private space or email or whatever.)

With a pentacle, that's a little harder, because you end up jumping directly into "Are you a witch/Pagan/Wiccan?" and it's harder for me to balance an appropriate answer with being honest and accurate. (It's also complicated by the fact I identify as priestess and witch in an initiatory religious witchcraft tradition, rather than just saying something like "Wiccan")
« Last Edit: July 11, 2011, 11:17:50 pm by Jenett »
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Dark Midnight

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2011, 02:09:18 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

 
I wear my pentacle all the time, mainly because this particular one was a gift from someone who means a great deal to me. It was bought in Tintagel in Cornwall when we all went away for a long weekend last year. I do have another, but the main reason I wear that one so much is because it is set with a garnet. I don't actually care what anyone else thinks about it. In fact, very few people comment on it at all. If anyone does comment, it is usually a polite enquiry to find out what it means. I've never had any negative response to them at all.

I get more comments on my other pendant. I wear an inch and a half long, teardrop shaped Bloodstone which I never take off. IMO, it is absolutely stunning and decent Bloodstone jewellery is incredibly difficult to find. It is the gemstone I use for any work with my Patron Deity, Hades, so it means everything to me.
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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2011, 02:16:35 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

Well I was taught, "Always wear a circle inside of a circle," so I do have 2 different pentacles that are only reserved for ritual jewellery, although I do wear them en route to circles, and if I'm out afterwards.

I do have a small more mundane everyday one, that I usually wear at the weekends when I don't have anything martial art related going on, so I don't have to keep taking off and on every other day(plus it's easy to have it off at work, especially if I'm dealing with wiring or electrics, where everything including the wedding band comes off) I wear it just for the personal significance. It's kind of small, and ends up under my shirt a lot too. The only times I hide it is if I'm in a kind of Republican area with a lot of drunks around, in order to avoid any possible sectarian ruckus since the people who do notice it tend to mistake it for a Star of David.
Semper Fidelis

EldritchTaranis

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2011, 02:34:18 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?


I do have two so far; one in my mini mobile altar and one I wear almost regularly. The one that I wear regularly has a pentacle and two other pendants on it rather that the other pentacle necklace that just has the pentacle.

The Two items I have on the pentacle I wear the most are; a serpent like dragon enveloping a dagger and the other pendant is the yin and yang. The reason why I have the serpent enveloping the dagger pendant is because I associate with the dagger and serpent. The reason why I have the yin and yang is because I believe in dualities; either it be politics, culture, gender, ceremonial, or even in worship.

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2011, 04:53:31 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?


I don't have a pentacle. Until very recently, I wasn't allowed to wear jewellery with my school uniform. Now that I'm out of uniform, I can wear a crescent or triquetra pendant, until I can get a Brighid's cross.
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HeartShadow

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2011, 09:38:57 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

So when I decided to start back up with Wicca/Paganism, I wanted something that would be a constant reminder to myself that I have chosen this path. And I found a perfect little Pentacle necklace, it's about 1". :)
The cord I currently have brings the pentacle about halfway between my collarbone and breastbone. So when I wear certain shirts, it's visible...
But, I feel that when i wear my necklace in public, people treat me different, or, as soon as they see that necklace they are apprehensive of me?
For a time it bugged me, and I stopped wearing the necklace, which made me start lacking in my religion, big time. :mad:
So now I wear it again, and now I am getting the feeling people are feeling weird near me again.
Your thoughts? Thanks :D

 
When I remember, I have a pendant of a sun with a big amber piece in the middle.  I also have a pendant of a tree-woman, a star with a tiny piece of malachite, and my wedding ring.

Worst I've had is when I wore the star having my boss MULTIPLE TIMES try to talk to me about Judaism.  ... still only five points, dude.

Of course, people tend to look at me funny for all KINDS of reasons, so it's not like I'd notice one more ......

Star

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Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2011, 09:48:53 am »
Quote from: HeartShadow;4231
When I remember, I have a pendant of a sun with a big amber piece in the middle.  

I've never had a single comment on my amber-centered sun pendant beyond "I like your necklace".  It doesn't register as a religious symbol for most people--I think they just assume I like sun-shapes and amber (given all the other jewelry I actually wear except the wedding set is amber too, and given the number of other sun-symbols I've managed to mostly-unintentionally collect, not unreasonable assumptions).

...But because it doesn't register as a religious symbol, I'm not sure it necessarily is what the thread is asking about anyway.  :)
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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2011, 10:04:30 am »
Quote from: HeartShadow;4231
Worst I've had is when I wore the star having my boss MULTIPLE TIMES try to talk to me about Judaism.  ... still only five points, dude.

 
Back when I wore a pent I was twice asked if I was Jewish and once asked for directions to an esoteric bookstore.  Nobody else appeared to notice.
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we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #12 on: July 12, 2011, 10:27:30 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

So when I decided to start back up with Wicca/Paganism, I wanted something that would be a constant reminder to myself that I have chosen this path. And I found a perfect little Pentacle necklace, it's about 1". :)
The cord I currently have brings the pentacle about halfway between my collarbone and breastbone. So when I wear certain shirts, it's visible...
But, I feel that when i wear my necklace in public, people treat me different, or, as soon as they see that necklace they are apprehensive of me?
For a time it bugged me, and I stopped wearing the necklace, which made me start lacking in my religion, big time. :mad:
So now I wear it again, and now I am getting the feeling people are feeling weird near me again.
Your thoughts? Thanks :D

 
I think if a person associates a symbol with something that makes them uneasy, offended, or curious, then you may get a reaction.  Then it becomes a matter of deciding how to react or if wearing that symbol openly is appropriate/wise in all situations.  

I wear an eight pointed star that symbolizes my devotion to Astarte.  Most people don't recognize it as religious, but while working in a setting where my religion could lose clients I left it at home because I wasn't willing to take that risk.  Now I wear it under my shirt if possible because it's strictly for devotional purposes and I don't like being approached (especially by strangers) with questions about it.  

Perhaps you could try building a set of practices that will serve as a mental touchstone instead of relying so strongly on your necklace to keep you connected?

8BitLady

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2011, 10:28:32 am »
I've had a few people say "is that the star of david?", or something similar...
I've had a few people say, "Hey, I like your necklace".

I had a guy recently ask what the Pentacle symbol was about, and I said basically "it's a symbol of my faith, Paganism or Wicca."
And then he asked if Wiccans worship jesus, and I said "some do"
but I was working while I was being asked, so didn't have much time to explain a bit more... plus I felt a bit on the spot.

entwife

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Re: Wearing your Pentacle in public?
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2011, 11:36:11 am »
Quote from: OtakuJolyn;4019
How many of you have and wear a Pentacle in public?

Your thoughts? Thanks :D


My first thought was... I have no idea how to answer this poll lol I have a lovely knotwork pentacle that I love to wear. Depending on my mood and needs I wear it inside my shirt next to my skin or outside my shirt... and sometimes I wear something else lol Typical Gemini there, I guess. I also have a lovely red coral goddess figure, a wooden hand-carved Raven pendant, and a thor's hammer that was given to me as a gift (although I identify more with Goibhniu than Thor). I had Raven putting the Sun in the Sky tattooed on my shoulder as a reminder that bits of jewelry aren't necessary. What you are or believe to be sacred will show in your daily choices and actions just as plainly as the skin we wear. It is also my reminder that all people are my brothers and sisters, not just the ones I like, admire or understand... "I am another you"
Wishing you laughter

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