Saturday, December 12, 2009

Paganism = Accessibility

I'm about as excited as a kid in a candy store! Last week with a little dishonesty on my part I bought my first deck of tarot cards. I had to say I was buying them for a "friend" but I managed to pick them up at a chain bookstore. Funnily enough they were stuck in the social science section with all the other books on Wicca, Paganism and the other tarot decks. Since when is the tarot a social science?
Now since they were in print and not Braille and I don't feel like waiting until I can meet up with my nonjudgmental best friend so she can read them to me I am sending them off to be Brailled. The fact that I can have my tarot deck put in to Braille makes me happy enough to pay this wonderful Saint of the Braillewriter extra for her work. I'm the only blind person I know who follows an Earth based spiritual path; but I figure more have to exist since some kind Soul puts tarot cards in Braille for us at a cost that is cheap enough to make me consider sending her a very nice tip as a thank you.
For me unlike most people my spirituality has been difficult to practice let alone enjoy freely. When I was an Evangelical Christian Braille materials such as the Bible were easy enough to find; in fact, I still get Braille letters from certain Christian organizations encouraging me to donate, pray and accept Christ. What I never get is anything in the mail relating to any kind of Earth based spiritual path like I follow. On one hand I'm greatful because I can only imagine the awkward conversation that would follow since my parents frequently read my mail. On the flipside would it hurt publishers like Llewellyn to offer digital copies of books such as those that most sighted Pagans have available to them on a regular basis.
In a world that usually ignores me and the millions of others like me its nice to have someone who realizes that blind and visually impaired people can choose to practice other belief systems besides Christianity. Paganism = accessibility!
Blessed be,

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