local pagan community

[sparrow]

I haven't been on here in almost a year I think, because I decided to make an effort to get out from behind the keyboard and get involved in the local pagan community. I was tired of not having any friends that were Pagan and not knowing a lot about my community.



It's been interesting. Some things have been exactly what I expected them to be, and others have been a big surprise or left me speechless. One of the most shocking things that I heard was from a woman I met at an event. She told me that the reason people sometimes disliked Santeria or those who practiced it was because followers of Santeria don't follow, "the rule that most others in the pagan community follow.. you know, harm none." I was totally shocked and floored by that statement (especially since she wasn't wiccan, and I don't follow the rede myself), but I was more surprised with the number of people I've met who seem to agree with her.

Anyway, there is a question in here! I was wondering (if you have been able to or have had the desire to interact with the Pagan community in person) what the most shocking or disappointing discoveries you have made about your local community have been. What about the best or most rewarding?

[Nyktipolos]

Go to a local metaphysical/New Ager store. Picked up a book somehow involving Hathor and the gods being aliens/ascended beings and something some triple helix DNA. Lol'd at it with a friend. Say, "This can't be real. Who would write this?"

One of the clerks is nearby putting up stock. She replies with, "Oh, it's very real."

We make faces, put the book back, then wander off to another part of the store before leaving.

As much as I want to be a part of a pagan community in my city, I haven't found a viable group yet. Nor do I want to go through the stress of trying to find one at the moment. Too much bullshit to weed out to get the good parts, if you know what I mean.

[sparrow]

As much as I want to be a part of a pagan community in my city, I haven't found a viable group yet. Nor do I want to go through the stress of trying to find one at the moment. Too much bullshit to weed out to get the good parts, if you know what I mean.

Totally understandable. I put it off for quite a while before I ventured out and started weeding. I've been lucky enough to find some friends and a very cool Pagan book club, but if I would have wandered too far into the wrong group of people I probably would have been scarred for life, run home, and shut the curtains...

[Miss]

Anyway, there is a question in here! I was wondering (if you have been able to or have had the desire to interact with the Pagan community in person) what the most shocking or disappointing discoveries you have made about your local community have been. What about the best or most rewarding?

I've only met groups of people that deal with witchcraft so far.

So I met a woman on witchvox to learn face-to-face about witchcraft. I tried to get as much info about what she knew before I traveled to meet her, but she just kept saying,"It all depends on what you want to learn from me." I just assumed she had a lot of general knowledge and met her anyways.

Ugh. It was horrible. First of all, this woman smelled just awful. She mentioned she lived in a particular city near Seattle that has fairly high income and that she was a house wife, so I was expecting something else from her. She looked as though she was homeless,though. I don't care how much money someone has, but I expected her to at least be civilized enough to bathe and comb her hair.

Secondly, we barely talked about witchcraft. She went on and on about her entire life story! I could barely get a word in. Every time I would direct the conversation back onto witchcraft, it was all in vain. She'd toss aside my subject and go back to talking about her. I bring up divination, she thinks it's silly. I bring up ceremonial magic, she thinks it's silly. She literally told me" I spit on the group to make it rain, that's magic to me." Then right back to giving me an earful of her life story.

She was really weird.

The second group I met on witchvox was a bunch of gossipy young people. The first thing they did when everyone arrived was talk about other people not present in a poor fashion. They also self-proclaimed their group as "fluffy". I didn't particularly see eye-eye on their moral requirements. For instance, they gave a nice rant on how blood is off limits without even explaining why it was "dark magic" .Too black and white in thought for my tastes. I got the feeling their knowledge was not very broad, even though they were teaching classes.

I haven't actually found many witchcraft or pagan groups that weren't heavily exclusive in Seattle so far. I figured there would be tons, being such a liberal city and all.

[Jenett]

Anyway, there is a question in here! I was wondering (if you have been able to or have had the desire to interact with the Pagan community in person) what the most shocking or disappointing discoveries you have made about your local community have been. What about the best or most rewarding?

You know, I'm not sure that I have a shocked that isn't a more specific story. There are idiots ([1] - using the original Greek meaning) in every community, and Paganism isn't immune.

The thing that's pleasantly surprised me: there are people I really, deeply enjoy sharing a broader Pagan community with, whose ritual practices drive me up a tree. That's okay. We don't do ritual together, or only do it in very limited circumstances, and we do a bunch of other Pagan-community stuff together, and that's awesome.

[1] Idiotes, in classical Greek, basically means 'someone who is making decisions based on their own desires, rather than the larger good of the communities they're a part of'. Basically, someone who is blowing off their responsibility to the function of small-scale democracy.

[sephira]

Go to a local metaphysical/New Ager store. Picked up a book somehow involving Hathor and the gods being aliens/ascended beings and something some triple helix DNA. Lol'd at it with a friend. Say, "This can't be real. Who would write this?"

One of the clerks is nearby putting up stock. She replies with, "Oh, it's very real."

We make faces, put the book back, then wander off to another part of the store before leaving.

My nail tech is heavily into this and completely tried to convince me that this was, and is, the only possible way we could have all been created. I politely listened and occasionally said "oh definitely" to act like I was interested, well, not interested, but agreed on some strange level. I like to think I'm open minded and can listen to the dogma* of other people's beliefs without ridicule, but I honestly just can't wrap my head around this one! It's just too far fetched IMO! Now I can't look at her the same and I feel horrible for it!!!

The shocking experience in my pagan community, if you can even call it that, is that they are a bunch of snobs which is the strangest thing as 1. most pagans I meet in this area are happy to meet another pagan and 2. they are army wives and army wives usually stick together. These people though, not at all! They act like a little clique in high school. They are rude, whisper amongst themselves, act like you're not even there. They did this to me and my best friend (at the time) so it wasn't just me who noticed it. The sad thing is that they're in their twenties so you'd think they'd act like adults! So, I don't hang around them anymore because it's just too disturbing to be near them and it's sad as they are the only group of pagans I know of in this area!

*hope I used this correctly

[sparrow]

The second group I met on witchvox was a bunch of gossipy young people.

Sheesh, I'm surprised to hear that you haven't had much luck on witchvox! I actually went to an amazing drumming class that I found on there, as well as several different group events.

If you're into drumming and live near Edgewood you should definitely check that class out! If I weren't so shy about sucking at it (the lady who runs it is very supportive, as were all the people in the class when I went. Tons of positive energy and encouragement) I would be there every week. I think the teacher is a witch, but I didn't ask outright since it wasn't an outwardly spiritual class, and she said that she teaches a lot of different classes, so maybe you could learn more about witchcraft from her if you were looking for more info?

[Rowanfox]

Anyway, there is a question in here! I was wondering (if you have been able to or have had the desire to interact with the Pagan community in person) what the most shocking or disappointing discoveries you have made about your local community have been. What about the best or most rewarding?

Our city actually has a rather lively local pagan community, but I have not been involved with them for years.

I think the reason it was stronger than many is that it was sort of "founded" by a group of reclaiming witches that were displaced here (or returned) from California. One reclaiming, one Gardnerian, and a couple of eclectic covens got together and formed a loose association that came together to share ideas, circle space and companionship. The community grew, but the core founders kept a bit of a handle on the craziness, screening those who wanted to join to keep out the worst freaks and crazies. The freak meter included those looking to initiate underage seekers, those requiring sexual congress to be initiated, or those seeking monetary gain from seekers. The BTW influence was strong.

In the past 10 years these founding members have moved on or passed away, and there was a rather nasty schism in the group when some members decided the screening was not democratic and that ALL pagans should join.

The local Gards were pretty low key and hidden already, but with the changes the community was going through, the decision was made to withdraw more. I have not met with or circled with other locals for almost 10 years.

I cannot abide the freaks; and I have no authority to ban them.... so I stay away.

[Micheál]

Anyway, there is a question in here! I was wondering (if you have been able to or have had the desire to interact with the Pagan community in person) what the most shocking or disappointing discoveries you have made about your local community have been. What about the best or most rewarding?

The local pagan community in Ireland is great. It's a small island, so most people know of each other, keeping it very tight and close knit. I'm very fortunate to have such great people in my life.

It was a little different back home. There still were wonderful people, and I continue to have good people in my life from the pagan community from St. Louis, but the "wider pagan community' isn't without its quacks. I really liked the pub moots, and nights out, but there was a few different vibes at the festivals. I came into the community as a teenager in the late 90's, so I didn't see the 60s, 70s with all of the "Witch wars," Oberon Zell Ravenheart, and The Church of All Worlds. People I met at festivals who were there tried to use that as if you owed them instant respect. Since most of them were influenced by Wicca, and the Trad Wiccan community there keeps a small profile, most of them were not, and would throw hissy fits if you asked about their lineage. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to consider you an authority figure and give you instant respect no matter how many "witch wars" you've seen just because you were around in the 70s.

Another thing was the hippes. Great people, a good lot of them, but a lot of others do my head in with their wide conspiracies and attitudes wanting to protest anything. I'm a vet, and the first thing I saw when walking into my 1st Pagan Picnic after leaving the Marines was flyers being stuck in my hand opposing "The War" with a bunch of 9/11 conspiracy crap. I thought it was a pagan picnic, not Rainbow Fest!

[yewberry]

I haven't actually found many witchcraft or pagan groups that weren't heavily exclusive in Seattle so far.

And now you know why.

This is going to sound awful (sounds awful in my head), but I always assume there's something wrong with people who call themselves pagan, because I go with the percentages. Pagan folks have to prove that they're (relatively) sane and rational before I can relate to them. And of that apparently small sub-group, I've never found people who believe the things I do, online or off. I'm not holding out a lot of hope that I'll ever find them.

Brina