User:Jcvamp

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This user is proud to be English.
This user lives in Northumberland
This user is pagan.




My name is Justin. I'm a 23-year-old man living in the north-east of England. I'm interested in language, gardening, technology, computers, science, religion, mythology and the occult. I'm currently a student studying Java programming.

Contents

[edit] Religion

I've been a Pagan for 8 years. I was brought up Christian (attending a C of E first school and The Salvation Army on Sundays), but by the time I was a teen, I began to question my beliefs, and religion in general. At the age of 15, I was writing a fictional story about Witchcraft, and my father suggested that I ask my cousin, who is a Witch, for research. So, I asked her and she gave me a Book of Shadows on floppy disk. As I read more about Wicca (the variety of Witchcraft she practises), I found that it fit my beliefs.

After a few years of researching Wicca, and calling myself a Wiccan, I found that my beliefs had evolved beyond those of Wicca, so I decided to refer to myself as an eclectic Pagan, or simply a Pagan.

[edit] Hobbies

I have been a writer since an early age. My father has written children's books (unpublished) and other stories; he is a singer, a guitarist, a pianist, and composer; and has written and produced songs since before I was born. Growing up I admired my dad's talents, so I decided to write stories and songs myself. This has developed into a lifelong hobby and has expanded to include poetry.

When I was 11, I tried to get a story published, but I was told that it wasn't what the publisher was looking for. I have since had poems published on websites, and self-published a book of poetry. The poetry book didn't sell well so I have since withdrawn it, but I take this as a sign to keep trying and improving my writing skill. It's still an ambition of mine to be published.

I also enjoy garden, and have recently converted my back garden from a muddy, weed-filled mess into an actual garden. The garden now has a lawn at the top, with a tree in the centre, surrounded by border plants, shrubs, and a hedge; a raised vegetable patch, which now contains potatoes; another vegetable patch by the patio where I have more potatoes, some herbs, and onions; decking on the patio, covering the cracked paving stones below, in the now separate patio area (I made a fence and gate to enclose the area); a small greenhouse filled with tomato and cucumber plants; and some shelves with troughs containing various vegetables (I have to build upwards to save space). I have had help with various aspects of the garden, but this has been mainly my project.

As a Wiccan-esque Pagan, I enjoy having a connection with the earth and being surrounded by nature, which is part of my motivation for gardening. I would someday like to be able to grow enough food to support myself, and possibly keep hens.

[edit] Contributions

One of the main things I do on Wikipedia, is attempt to make articles more universal (especially UK friendly). A lot of articles seem to be US-centric and, as this encyclopaedia is for English speakers from all over the world, I've been trying to make sure that all definitions are included.

Another issue I am trying to address is information concerning modern Pagans and their practices.

[edit] Concerning spatulas (a pet project)

Recently, I have been editing the spatula article, which focused mainly on fish slices, and barely mentioned the other definitions. To remedy this, I ended up making a fish slice article, which I later merged with the spatula article. The spatula article now focuses solely on fish slices (as this is the most common use of the word 'spatula'), with a link to a disambiguation page which covers the other definitions. This allows the spatula page to mention that the term 'fish slice' is used to describe this implement in the UK, without implying that we call all spatulas fish slices. It is also clearer what the spatula article is about.

[edit] Articles I've created

[edit] Articles I've contributed to largely


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