Practicing in a Foreign Land
One of the questions that I get asked a lot living in Kuwait is how dangerous is it for me to be a practicing Pagan. My answer is always the same. So long as it is not in people's faces they don't really care. We have a house that is a known Buddhist temple, and another that is a known Hindus temple. We have a huge church that all the denominations worship in and we also have Kuwaitis that are Anglican Christians and their head, Father Emmanuel, is one of the Amir's major advisors. Kuwait as a country is pretty tolerant...if you don't flaunt it.
I lucked out when it came to my family. I'm married to a pretty religious Muslim man. He knows I am an Irish Polytheist and he is respectful of that. All he asks of me is not to have my altar up in any room he prays in not because he doesn't respect my religion but because in their religion they cannot pray in a room with pictures in it. I accommodate that by having a portable altar, which I put up in the morning and afternoon to pray and then I take it down as soon as I am done and I put it away in a cabinet that no one touches. My father in law has a homestead and he helps me pick animals that I raise and then helps me slaughter them for my feasts. They help me celebrate my festival days like I help them celebrate theirs.
Another question that I get a lot is how do you practice in a land that looks nothing like Ireland both in looks and in weather. I learned a long time ago to incorporate Kuwaiti land and weather conditions into my practice. I learned about Kuwait's flora and fauna and learned about the spirits of the desert. I learned how to ask them to grace my rituals and what they liked and disliked for offerings. I learned the weather patterns in Kuwait and tailored my rituals and festivals to them. I found that when I did all that work I was able to connect to my patrons easier and without barriers.
This is what practicing in a foreign land looks like.
