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Organize Your Own Pagan Event
Let’s face it, at some point nearly all of us have read the listings of public Pagan events and festivals taking place somewhere, and wondered, “Why isn’t there something near ME?” Chances are if there’s nothing happening, it’s because no one has taken the time to organize it yet. And if YOU think it would be a good idea, there’s a very good possibility that other people think it would be a good idea. Obviously, while we’re living in the age of the ‘Rona, there’s not a ton of events being planned, but eventually when things settle down, you might decide you’ve had enough of Netflix and Zoom meetings, and…
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Welcoming the Non-Pagans to Your Pagan Stuff
One of the most popular articles on my old About/ThoughtCo.LearnReligions site was one about proper etiquette when you’re a non-Pagan — or at the very least, a non-coven member — invited to a ritual. The piece discussed how to behave and interact with the folks holding the ritual, and how to make sure you’re invited back again — and since the piece is no longer live on LearnReligions, I’ve reposted it here. Anyway, for each non-Pagan attending an event, there must clearly be someone putting on the ritual. It’s important, therefore, for us to discuss how to treat non-Pagans–or non-members of our group–when they take time out of their schedules…
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Ritual Etiquette for the Non-Pagany Peeps
Perhaps you’re not Wiccan, but you’ve been invited by your friend to join in her coven’s next circle. Or maybe your buddy from work has invited you to his upcoming Druid celebration at the park. You want to participate, but have no idea how Pagans behave, or what the proper protocol is for a non-Pagan attending a ceremony. Or perhaps you are a Pagan, but you’ve been invited to attend a ritual with a group that’s brand new to you. So now what do you do? Believe it or not, most rules of common sense and courtesy apply here, just as they would apply to you attending any other religious service.…
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Perfect Love, Perfect Trust
Many people toss around the phrase “perfect love and perfect trust” in the Neopagan community. They sometimes use it as a defense when they are corrected by someone else, or bring it up as an argument when they don’t like what people are saying, as in, “I am TOO right, you’re all being mean, what about perfect love and perfect trust?” I was once challenged by a community member when I pointed out that a popular book was full of shoddy scholarship, blanket statements, and just plain awful ideas. Her response was “But Author X is a respected member of the community! Where’s your perfect love and perfect trust?” Well, as…
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So You’re Invited to a Pagan Ritual…
Perhaps you’re not Pagan, but you’ve been invited by your friend to join in her coven’s next circle. Or maybe your buddy from work has invited you to his upcoming celebration at the park. You want to participate, but have no idea how Pagans behave, or what the proper protocol is for a non-Pagan attending a ceremony. Or perhaps you are a Pagan, but you’ve been invited to attend a ritual with a group that’s brand new to you. So now what do you do? Believe it or not, most rules of common sense and courtesy apply here, just as they would apply to you attending any other religious service. For…
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Can You Even Magic? Not if You’re Lazy
I periodically (and by periodically I mean A LOT OF TIMES) get emails and Facebook messages from people who lead in with What A Powerful Witch they are, and then by the second paragraph they’re begging me for spells. This weird juxtaposition tells me a couple of things. First, it means they’re not as Oh So Powerful as they think they are, and more importantly that they actually think Powerful is something that can be measured, when really what matters more than Powerful is Effective. I’d much rather be effective – and I am – than so-called powerful, which is all relative anyway. The second thing it tells me is…
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Covens, New People, and Group Dynamics
So you’re part of a Pagan group that already has a really good feel to it – maybe it’s a small group of only a few people, or perhaps there are dozens of you. Anyway, at some point, you open up your membership to new folks, and as you’re vetting potential candidates… well. That’s when it hits. You’ve got concerns about one of the individuals who wants to join up and be part of the group, because you know them and they’re chronically negative and needy. You find yourself asking if you should talk to the other members about your concerns, but don’t want to cause unnecessary drama. What do…
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Support Your Local Witchy Shops!
Many towns and cities are home to Pagan shops, but unfortunately they tend to come and go. It’s a rare Pagan shop indeed that lasts more than a few years — your favorite store may be there one day, and vanish the next. That’s partly because, like any small independent business — a locally-run Pagan shop depends on local customers for its livelihood. If customers don’t patronize these shops, they vanish, because it’s not cost-effective to run a business that’s doesn’t make a profit. Here are five reasons you should support local Pagan businesses if possible: Local businesses build the local economy. It’s a no-brainer that local businesses help the…
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I Don’t Care Where You Get Your Tools: You Do You, Boo
Every so often I see people in the Pagan community start clutching their pearls and sobbing about how the Instagram Witches are ruining everything because they’re buying their sage in a Sephora Witch Kit or they got a cute altar statue at a Harry Potter convention or they picked up crystals that OMG ARE NOT EVEN LOCALLY SOURCED. Most of the people in the discussions I saw about this topic fell into one of two camps: either “Who cares, just let them practice,” or “THEY RUINED WITCHCRAFT FOR THE REST OF US FOREVER.” This conversation, though, isn’t really so much about Sephora Witch Kits or Whole Foods or whatever per…
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This is How We Get Nice Things
I first got involved in the Pagan community back around 1988 or thereabouts, but it wasn’t until some twenty years later that I heard someone use the term “love offering.” At first, no kidding, I thought it was in reference to some kind of sixties-era sex practice, but as it turns out, it’s just a phrase that means a donation. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure. However, whether you call it a love offering or just a donation, at some point, you may find yourself at a Pagan event wondering if you should toss a few bucks in the pot. The short answer is, yes, if you want us…
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