What I Believe: A Gentle Manifesto

In the past ten years or so, since I started my first blog online and started making myself more and more publicly accessible and sharing my thoughts and opinions more often online (and in the pages of Enchanted Living) I’ve always had the same overall goals and themes in the work I share and the image I presented. I want to encourage people to notice the magic that is here all around us if we pay attention. I wanted to be a haven of positivity, a sanctuary, a safe place where beauty and enchantment reign.

Toward that end, although I have occasionally let slip my leanings in political areas through posts, I generally avoid discussing these topics, preferring to focus on the celebration and what unites us.

But sometimes I believe a moment of clarity and clarification is important.

Yes, I mean my spaces on the internet to be a sanctuary, a place of rest. But it’s important to know what cornerstone beliefs are behind each post I do, whether those beliefs come through loudly or only in a quiet whisper.

Recently, there was a tragic event in the capitol of my country, and one that left me feeling appalled, heartbroken, and not sure how to respond. But I felt I wanted to respond in some way, to make my feelings known. And so I wanted to make a statement. A sort of gentle manifesto, making clear my opinions on a few things. I am no celebrity, my thoughts may not matter very much in the large scheme of things. But I would like to know that somewhere out there in the pixels and data that collects all my thoughts and the essays and writings I’ve shared online, this statement is among them.

I believe that respect and caring have no age limit. That our society would be better off if we cared more for the elderly and listened to the knowledge they’ve gained with time. Youth is not the most valuable asset in life.  

I believe that Black Lives Matter, and that phrasing it that way is important, because Black people have been marginalized, harassed, and victimized for too long.

I believe that trans women are women. Full stop. No more to that sentence, no semantics to argue.

I believe in LGBTQIA+ equality and celebration of identities.

I believe that if someone in a marginalized community tells me that what I’m doing or wearing or saying is appropriation, or makes them uncomfortable, then nothing that I own or wear or say or hold is worth arguing over and holding tight to. I will respect them, learn, listen, and stop.

I believe that people with disabilities should be treated with respect and equality, and the “r” word should be abolished from all use.

I believe that Norse, Viking, and Pagan symbols are not meant to be symbols of white supremacy.

I believe that nature should always be respected and protected. That we are animals, and intertwined with the fate of the natural world.

I believe that animals are our kin and siblings, and any loss of them should be mourned and avoided whenever possible.

I believe that women should have power over their own bodies.

I believe that magic is real, and all around us, if we look closely enough.

I believe that Beauty transcends, lifts us up, gives us hope, and is eternal.