Sunne Ann Paquette draws a feeling of connectedness from her Wiccan beliefs. (By Michael Williamson – The Washington Post)

By Sunne Ann Paquette
Saturday, August 1, 1998; Page B09

I would best describe my religion as a religion of connectedness. It has many formal names, such as paganism, Wicca, Goddess religion. I am a Witch.

I became aware of my need for and belief in my religion in my early twenties through books, but the deity I praise and learn from, the Goddess, has always been in my life.

My growing years have also been, and continue to be, steeped in Christianity, but not in any formal way. Neither of my parents chose to share their childhood religions, Catholicism and Mormonism, with their five children. No, Christianity was in all parts of the American culture itself: holidays, school, even the motto "one nation under God."

Yet I do not consider myself Christian, and at times I feel very jealous of all that Christianity has in worldly goods. You do not see fantastic churches on beautiful land dedicated to the Goddess everywhere you look!

So what is this connectedness? As I learn and grow with the Goddess, part of what I do is learn about all the ways that the people of this planet praise their deities. I accept and appreciate all religions. I see how our myths and beliefs are the same stories in different words.

We are connected in our love for deep spiritual connection and in our desire to understand how to be good people and raise our young in a safe and morally guided world. I know that there is no one way to do this. I believe that each person's relationship to God or Goddess is her or his own path. Religion is simply a map or guide.

I wish more people were educated about the Wiccan religion. I am dismayed when any public official or individual judges what is and what is not a religion. This happens a lot with Wicca. I am insulted that anyone would suggest that I praise Evil, as has been said countless times about my religion.

I worship the Goddess. She is Life. She is taking care of the Earth and all who inhabit it in healthy ways. She is accepting all the varieties and forms life takes. She says love your body as it is. She says make good choices, treat everything with reverence, give everyone a voice, take care of and own your problems, accept your imperfections. Most of all, give these opportunities to all by connecting. See your part in the whole. Do your part to make the whole healthier. Live your life and let others live theirs as they please. Share all the resources and use them very, very wisely.

Blessed be!

Sunne Ann Paquette, 36, is a pediatric nurse with Kaiser Permanente and lives in Vienna.