https://manaonline.tripod.com/apoen
To all my friends I am Mana, a nickname I picked up in fourth grade that just stuck. I am a Gemini, born on the cusp of cancer on June 19, 1986. My mother was Canadian-born to Dutch immigrants and my father was born in central Italy. I was born and still reside in the city of Montreal, Canada as a College student studying Creative Arts and Culture. I will most likely continue on to University majoring in Graphic Design, but that isn't yet decided.
My passion is in the arts and I adore everything about it. I love using all sorts of mediums, though my favourite are oil paint, watercolour, graphite pencil, pen and ink. I also enjoy web and graphic design in my free time. I'm also an avid fan of live entertainment, going most often to an average of two shows per month. Music concerts, theatre pieces - I love musicals.
Theology has always interested me, most likely because my immediate family isn't religious and I wasn't formally introduced it as traditionally done by my father's side, all Catholics. It's actually an almost funny story.
You see, the Priest my parents went to wouldn't allow me to have Protestant godparents. Rather then change them, my parents went to a Protestant Minister. If I would have been christenned protestant, then my parents would have had to promise to attend church every Sunday. My parents aren't liars, a quality I respect them greatly for, so I ended up not being introduced to either religion. In hindsight, I'm grateful for it. It's allowed me to develop my own beliefs and chose a path that suits me best.
I was first introduced to Druidism in March 2002. It struck me because many of the concepts were like my own and I have been studying it ever since. I do so solitarily because I've never met another Druid (or Druidess, or Neo-Druid. I use these terms interchangeably) in person before. In a way I'm glad- it's allowed me to learn to challenge my own thought, to analyze how and why I believe what I do.
I will never end my quest for knowledge, for it's a thirst that can never be sated and I am quite happy with that too.
Every path has it's obstacles, landmarks, and forks in the road. I've done a lot of independent study, and although I won't stop, I want to be around other people as well. To tell you the truth, I'm tired of being alone. My current goal is to start getting involved in the pagan community and meeting people like myself. As I progress further, there are a number of elements I plan on incorporating into my path.
I will definitly continue with my artwork, using it as a means to express my spirituality. I aim to maybe even make a small title for myself, maybe have some of my work shown in local pagan magazines and/or collections. I wouldn't do this as a profession, just as a hobby on the side. A bit of journalism concerning pagan issues further down the line also interests me.
I plan of commencing some serious Herbalism work within the next two or three years, after I'm satisfied with my current mythological studies. I'm still in the midst of looking for reliable teachers and resources, but greatly look forward to it. During this time, I also plan on introducing a divinatory practise to my path. I've been contemplating Runic Study.