Two Rules for Technopagans

That post on my Pagan background will come. I promise. For now I'll just say that I study Druidism through Ár nDraíocht Féin. For those of you unfamiliar with ADF, they have a study program commonly referred to as the Dedicant Program or the DP for short. I've worked on my DP for a few years now. I sent it in this past January and have since been working on a few revisions. Most of my essays are backed up via gmail, my other blog, and a website I'm building. Two that I was revising were only on my laptop. A few weeks ago my laptop just... died. For awhile it seemed like I wouldn't be able to get anything back - my old personal writings on Paganism, old altar photos, power points I put together for classes I presented on Druidism, and my DP. (Not to mention all my other photos, college papers, wedding plans, music, etc etc etc...) This was especially frustrating because one of the documents on my hardrive, and unavailable elsewhere due to my own absentmindedness, was a five month journal about my experiences with meditation and mental discipline. I was editing it before sending it in as credit for my DP, so when I lost five months worth of work and experience... I was just devastated.

So rule number one is to back up, back up, back up your files! I thought I was safe until I realized that I had forgotten some of my documents - some that, if lost, would be irreplacable. I would have had to start it all over again. If you have a working journal, continually update a CD-R or print a copy to place in a binder. Or even mail them to yourselve over gmail. Whether you are a Druid working on a study program or a Wiccan with an electronic book of shadows - back up your work!

My story does have a happy ending though. Although I'm not as tech savy as I could be, I'm lucky enough to have a fiance with some good computer skills. He helped me to extract my lap top's hardrive and hooked it up to his computer. I was then able to access my files and save them in an alternative location. I need to buy some CD-Rs to further back it up, but it's a start. It feels wonderful to know that they aren't lost.

That brings me to rule number two: educate yourself about computers or, at the very least, befriend someone who is well-versed in the technology and can do it for you or teach you.