Welcome
to the inaugural post of Wyrd Wiles!
I've
been carefully considering beginning this blog for months, and I
think the time has come for me to actively participate in, and
contribute to, the community which has given me so much.
As
a second generation Pagan I've practiced for most of my life, but for
much of that time I was never involved with the greater community. It
wasn't until I entered into the study of Anthropology, a few years
ago, that I really began to study how Pagan circles <Pun totally
intended> have changed and adapted over the years. I began to see
how our community has both influenced the world, and been influenced
by it.
In
a recent piece written by Teo
Bishop,
we were introduced to the idea of “The Pagan Bubble”. A piece on
the somewhat insular nature of the modern Pagan movement which
spawned a lot of follow up. Like
this piece by John Beckett . The idea raises the question of risk
vs gain. The bubble restricts our efforts to communicate with those
outside, but it also protects us. As Beckett said in his response, it
allows us to have a safe space to communicate our ideas without fear
or need for translation. However, modern Paganism is becoming more
and more involved in affairs outside of that bubble, and the
“Mainstream” is becoming increasingly
aware of our presence. As this continues, we will be forced to
confront those outside our own circles.
So
what do we do when confronted outside of our bubble? That's why I'm
starting this blog. What we need is a community that is cohesive
enough, networked enough, that we can communicate and take action
outside of our own social arenas. We are getting there. The
beginnings are in place, the seeds are planted, now we need to
encourage them to bloom and grow. In the recent case linked above,
concerning Fox and Friends, we and our allies were able to rally
quickly enough, and make enough noise, that our concerns were heard!
Organizations like The
Lady Liberty League are making these things more possible every
day.
My
goal here is to present news and perspectives on the Pagan Community
and it's interactions with other religious and secular communities.
Lets build a social foundation,from which those who represent our
community can stand and speak to those outside our bubble. Lets shape
the tools that will allow for dialog and understanding. The goal of
this blog isn't to talk to Pagans about being Pagan, it's to talk
about the world beyond our borders and how it affects us.
