I covered this in my last journal, I know, but that journal is kaput, I still have my gothic side and the question does arise from time to time. So without further adieu, here is my explanation of what Goth is.

As Scary Fate, another diarist put it, goth isn't something you can buy from Hot Topic (though Hot Topic does rock...). It is so often thought of as a fashion trend, yet at it's core it has absolutely nothing to do with what you wear and everything to do with how you think. It isn't industrialism either, though the mental connection is made between industrial and gothic as often as goth is thought of as 'dark fashion sense'. To understand the difference all you need to know is this;

Industrial = Future. Machines, steel.

Gothic = Past. Renaissance, humanity.

To be gothic is to have an interest in writing, art or making music; a form of personal expression that requires great thought and the willingness to put reality aside for awhile to explore the creative side of your nature. It is ageless, that fact proven by Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe and Victor Hugo, who weren't teenagers at the time of their contributions, as people tend to think all goths are. Goth is alive and well in the music of Mozart and the art of Michaelangelo. If you prefer a more contemporary example, think of the books of Neil Gaiman or the creations of some of your favorite comic book artists.

Think of the beautiful stone homes of the old-world wealthy and fantastic stonework cathedrals. This is how the term Gothic got it's start, in the architecture of old. To be gothic is to understand that and appreciate the significance of keeping the mediums we treasure active, not an easy thing in a world that becomes more and more technologically oriented daily.

Gothic is romantic and thoughful. It is also spiritual, which is why many goths are also involved in earth religions, faiths from our past that give us comfort and a connection to the old world. When I say old world, I don't just mean European countries, I mean this world the way it was at the peak of the Renaissance, when humanity was experiencing an awakening of spirit and creation. Some of the most beautiful art and music ever created by humanity came from the Renaissance (1400-1600). When people use the term medieval, this is the time period they're referring to.

Gothic people long for a return to that.

The notion that gothic culture is Satanic is patently ridiculous. Some goths turn to Satanism but not all; not even a small fraction of us. This is a stereotype and has no place in our culture. All religions are well represented here, even christianity.

Goth is diverse. There are as many ways to express one's inner goth as there are people on this planet. It's all individual.

That is the best way I have of explaining it. I'm both wiccan and gothic. Recently I began to think that I was more one than the other but I now understand that this is not true. They share equal space in my heart, mind and spirit. I could no more be one than the other.

To finally understand that and achieve balance between the two is a great relief.

We were meant to spend our lives learning. I wish more people understood that.

By Sionainne, Copyright 2002

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