F is for Fellowship and the dangers of Facebook ~ Pagan Blog Project

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Terrie Brookins

I am huge advocate of fellowship.  As an active member of my community, I encourage many to come out to events to meet people. Why? Because being solitary can be a lonely life. Even working within covens, circles, groves and groups can feel stifling at times.

Fellowship is defined by Merriam Webster as : 
1 : companionship, company

2a : community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience

2b : the state of being a fellow or associate

3 : a company of equals or friends : association

4 : the quality or state of being comradely

We as pagans, though seem to have large numbers online, are few and far between when it comes to seeing each other in the flesh. Be it due to not being out of the closet yet or general shyness, a lot of us don’t tend to leave the comfort of our screens. It’s time for us to leave the screens behind. Making real connections with others, not just through messaging or email, will make a huge difference in our lives. Why?  Because we are putting into practice all the things we are learning about ourselves and our paths.

Yes, I will advertise on Facebook and any other means I can for everyone to head to a meetup, moot, gathering or any other community event. For too long we have hidden behind our screens and become targets for those to wish to put us down. It’s real easy, as many of us know, to start a flame war online – a flurry of misunderstood emails that get out of control, a wall and nasty posts that deteriorate into name calling of the worst kind. It’s really hard – and daring to do that face to face isn’t it? Actually telling someone in person, that you have in issue is much scarier to do in real life. Sure we can send a perfectly crafted message to someone then forget about it, yet there is something missing. Body language, voice inflection and a host of other ways we communicate are lost online. Not so when you are talking to a real live person.

 

I encourage you all to leave Facebook and the computers  to get out in the real world  - even if it’s for a night, and meet real people.

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Ratcatcher ~ James McGee

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Terrie Brookins

“You don’t send a gentleman to catch vermin. You send Hawkwood”

That’s the  blurb that caught my eye back in 2008.  I read the book, I seem to recall, and enjoyed it. I just read it again. Apparently I was asleep. I forgot the middle, and the ending.  All I can say is WOW.

Continue reading →

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E is for Etiquette (and consequently Embarrassment) ~ Pagan Blog Project

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Terrie Brookins

As a woman who hails from the Southern States, Louisiana to be exact, I put great stock in behaving accordingly. Nothing puts a damper on a social gathering of any kind when someone act out of turn because they just don’t know any better.   As pagans, old and new, we know that in certain places and times, one must know how to act. Let’s share one with everyone else:

Ritual:

1. There is no shame in asking ahead of time what to do, bring or say. In fact, your host or hostess will probably ask you to help with preparations  - and thank you profusely.

2.  We all know by now that the cell phone stays off unless you are an on call doctor, nurse or EMT – or expecting a baby.  If you can’t be parted from your smartphone so you can tweet during the working, you have issues that ritual won’t fix.

3. If you have nothing nice to say about how the ritual went or is still going, keep it to yourself for 24 hours.  If you still have an issue, talk to your host, hostess or ritual leader in a calm constructive manner.

4. Be childlike, not childish. Enjoy the ritual with wonder and mirth, but please, no pranks, practical jokes or disruptive actions. Sure it may be cute to slip on a funny nose while everyone is in mediation but not really the goal unless stated by your ritual leader. And no switching out the gods statues with unwelcomed stuffed animals.  I’m watching you.

Can you think of anything else to add? Any other etiquette rules?

 

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D stands for Degree & Discipline ~ Pagan Blog Project

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

I am relatively new to Wicca and Paganism. From my rather naïve view, I have discovered there are two camps when it comes to formal degrees and education. The first is the naysayers. They tell that you don’t need a degree from some school or tradition to be a functioning witch, Wiccan or what have you.   The second camp says that not only do you need a degree, but it must be formal and kept a secret.

Both of these camps have their merits and detriments.  However, that debate is not my focus today. My official stance is this: no you don’t need to have a degree – get one anyway.  It doesn’t matter what school or traditions you choose or if you stick with it past earning the degree. Why? That magical word that no one likes to hear besides the word “work;” it’s called discipline.

At its simplest, my argument is one of the mundane worlds. While no one actually needs to complete high school or any higher education past sixth grade, life is a lot easier if you do. When applied to the Wicca and Paganism in general, having some sort of formal education gives you the tools needed to discover a larger world – and weather the trials that world can throw at you.

So take a basic course at your local resource store.  Do the homework without anyone nagging you. If you’re too shy or can’t come out of the closet just yet, take an online course or go through the periods of self study with books.   You’ll be glad you did.

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Community Slacktivism ~ Pagan Blog Project

Posted on February 8, 2012 by admin

Today’s blog post isn’t about connecting to the Divine – whatever you conceive she, he or it to be. It’s about connecting to each other.

I’m  Wiccan – no surprise.  For now, I am solitary. As much as I enjoy my faith and my learning, it’s pretty darn lonely.  There are only so many “Blessed Be’s” I can take online and in emails that I can take before I snap. To combat the loneliness, I am active in my local pagan community. We’re a merry bunch of Druids, Lothloriens and eclectic pagans alike – until it comes to stepping up and leading.

The discussion went down something like this. After a meet and greet, I posted to our local group what we talked about in person. We aired out some of the misconceptions and misperceptions about who we are and what we want from our community. My challenge and question to them all: “What events and activities are you willing to support with your time or money?”

Well no one wanted to touch the money issue. I have a separate rant on that. But the time? Oh the time was a big one. “If you want me to help, just ask” was the big response.  To be fair, calls for volunteers for many of our events have gone out with few to answer.  So when the same six people who are running every event get burned out, the same tired question gets asked: “Why didn’t you ask me for help?”

My problem with this is twofold.  The first, if I had to ask each and every person for help in any project and wait for a response, I’d be waiting forever. The second, we as a community (both online and off) need to change how we support each other. Instead of saying “Ask me for help” why not show up and say “give me something to do?”

You can guess how well that went over. Lead balloon anyone? But it had to be said. For years, we as a people and pagan community love having events and community support. For years, we’ve had only a few people to step up to the plate and actually make these events and services happen. It doesn’t matter what kind of spell or charm you want to make – community events and services won’t happen without community support.

My challenge to all pagans reading this: Support your community with either your money or your time. If you’ve got money to buy a coffee, an order of fries or that neat new scrying mirror – you can give a few bucks to help fund a camping trip or pay for a hall for an open ritual.

And if you don’t have money? Show up and say “Give me something to do.” Even if it’s picking up garbage, stacking chairs or handing out a flyer promoting the service or event – it shows that your support your community and appreciate the people working hard for you.

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