The world these days seems designed to tear us apart: men vs. women, blue vs. red, black vs. white, idiots vs. morons, news vs. “news”. And I feel lately that I only have two settings: anger and despair. Most day I would rather be a hermit in a cave than face the world.

But there are things that bring light into the darkness—things that make me feel like I am not alone. CotE is one of those things. Various Facebook groups I belong to that celebrate joy and kindness. My family, friends, and furbabies.

Lately also I have been catching a trend out of the corner of my eye. It shows up in t-shirts, tattoos, jewelry. My favorite manifestation, however, is the bumper sticker. I have noticed an upswing in Pagan symbols and slogans. It used to be that ‘Coexist’ stickers were just a trendy, meaningless car decoration. Now it seems like an act of rebellion.

But beyond that I have started to see blatantly Pagan representation in unexpected places. I am talking about the small purple pentacle I saw on someone’s window at the Cary Preston Harris Teeter. This was not a car I recognized as one of our own, either. That means there are others out there. My heart leapt for joy! And as much as I wanted to run through the Teeter shouting for my compatriot to show themselves, I did not. I contented myself with a knowing smile and a quiet “Heh!”.

I’ve seen other stickers around too. “My Other Car is a Broom”, “Blessed Be”, “Magic Happens”. It is gratifying to know that there are others out there who believe the same things I do. I feel more empowered and united, even if I don’t meet them or ever see their faces.