WF Yvonne Aburrow: Changing Paths

What this episode covers

The full transcript for this episode is available at MissingWitches.com. Yvonne is multi-dimensional. A software developer, poet, and Wiccan theorist. A non-binary bisexual person who brings to their practice a huge compassion for all of us out here just trying to find our paths. "Yvonne Aburrow has an MA in Contemporary Religions and Spiritualities from Bath Spa University and lives and works in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They have written four books on the mythology and folklore of trees, birds, and animals, two anthologies of poetry, and various books on contemporary Wicca." Their latest is Changing Paths. "Are you leaving a religion, entering Paganism, leaving Paganism, changing traditions within it, or leaving religion altogether? Changing Paths is a companion for the journey.How do you explain your new path to friends, family, former co-religionists, and yourself? How do you extricate yourself from your previous tradition and its associated ideas? How do you unpack your complex feelings about your path and why you are changing direction?Individuals have many reasons for leaving a faith, including being in conflict with bad theology, bristling against a high-control religion, and disagreeing with conservative positions on gender, sexuality, and the body. Changing Paths offers resources for examining religious attitudes to gender, sexuality, other religions, and whether your religion supports you effectively through life’s ups and downs.There are various routes into Paganism and Changing Paths offers resources on how to decide which tradition is right for you, how you know you’re a member of a group, and reasons for joining a group—or not. Exercises, journal prompts, and reflections explore how to deal with unexamined baggage from your previous tradition, the role of leaders, and how to find a beloved community.You aren’t alone in your journey. A range of contributors who have trod this same path—from a former Christian who is now a Wiccan to a former Pagan who now avoids labels—also share their experience and wisdom."