Badges of Office
By Staff Writer: Paganus Greybeard
I am the Paganus.
I am the slightly different man in black and brown occasionally
black, blue or white sitting quietly in either a quiet corner somewhere or
at a puter unit keyboarding away. Sometimes I wear what I think of as my
scholars cloak. Most of the time I wear one of my old black
uniform shirts out as a over-shirt. Today as I sit here in the Student Resource
Center I am wearing my standard black jeans, brown turtleneck and brown
shirt-jacket. I am as dressed-up as I ever am here at San Bernardino City Unified
Schools Adult School.
Since I am the Paganus - and a Chaotic Eclectic I am also wearing
my Celtic Cross, Pentacle, Jewish Six-point Star and a yellow stone
symbolizing the Sky-Father Sun. It all looks matched and coordinated to me but
then after-all I am a single, adult, male. I am probably a walking sartorial disaster
and do not even know it. Here at School where I am slowly working my through clerical and
office & administrative skills classes I have been confronted only
once by anyone who even knew what the pentacle is and means. Here in
School either nobody is observant enough to notice or I am quiet and
discreet enough that I am attracting any interest or attention.
I am here at School just another student. I do nothing overly
odd, strange or different. I am the Chaotic Eclectic. I am an
Eclectic whose life is in nearly total disruption and chaos - hence the
designation. I am in relationship with and in comparison to the mass
student body here quite unremarkable. There is after-all a
couple of nuns here in full habits, a Buddhist in his saffron robe, and
students and instructors from all form and manor of sociological, ethnic
and cultural backgrounds in their native cultures attire. Here in
this ever busy S.R.C. I am almost part of the background in my jeans,
turtleneck and shirt-jacket. Only my Badges of Office are in any way
distinctive.
Take a good look at the badge graphics IF they
survived and appeared in the posted version of these scrawled scribblings.
Note the marshals badge. Is that not a pentacle? That is the badge of the
U.S. Marshal of old west fame. You have the star within the circle.
The badge is a very old symbol of healing and protective authority updated
to a relatively modern era.
Now take a look at the center-piece graphic of the U.S. Seal.
That is the symbol of the United States Military and Government.
This is the symbol of a Nation State of the modern era.
Finally there is the Celtic Cross. This is a symbol of an ancient
and proud society, race and culture that wandered, explored, settled
and cultivated much of Europe and South Asia. There are anthropological
and archeological signs and records of ancient semi-pre-historic Celts
as far east as what is now present day India and Bangladesh. This
would mean that those nearly-lost to history Celts possibly had trade and
cultural contact with equally ancient Hindus, Arabs, Jews and others of the Middle and
Near South Eastern continent. With that multi-cultural, ethnic and racial
contact and trade aspects of each race and culture would be adapted, adopted and
dispersed throughout the Celts areas of wanderings and settlings.
When the Church blundered and bludgeoned its way into the lives and
cultures of the ancient Europeans older symbols and referents were
modified and adapted if not outright ham-handedly altered by the
Church to fit its view and vision of religious reality. One of the
changes that was made was that of the cross to overlay and overwrite older
indigenous symbols. The ancient Northern Europeans had their Elder
Gods and with these Elder Gods their associated symbologies. Along
then come the priests, friars, brothers and nuns to re-arrange and
re-design everything. The Celts lived and existed for thousands of years
before the invasion of the holy orders. They had their own ways and
means of doing things and living their lives. The Circle and the Four
Directions were an integral and vital part of these ancient Celtic
lives.
I am the Paganus. I used to wear a badge for my security work.
I no longer do security work so I no longer carry or wear that
badge. I am however the Paganus. I wear the Pentacle and the Celtic Cross.
These are not badges for employment and work. They are my badges
for the Goddess. I work for her and the Mistress now. I dont carry a
baton anymore. I carry my Celtic wand. I dont carry the Penal Code anymore.
I carry Scott Cunninghams Truth About Witchcraft and Witches Datebook and
Planner.
I am the Paganus.
I am the Pagan Eclectic Chaotic quietly keyboarding away in the S.R.C.
Have no fear the Greybeards here…..
Shall we go Raise a Circle?……