Sometimes growing is painful

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is not so much wrong with this community as there is something wrong with my current approach to all things Pagan. There is a thriving community here in our town, groups of people that meet on a regular business and work together on a regular basis – but they don’t want to work with Greenleaf. They have goals and ideas, things they’d like to see get accomplished in this area – but not by Greenleaf.

I believe that Greenleaf’s time has come and gone. We have done so much and I would like to believe that we have accomplished huge strides in helping Pagans and Wiccans become at least a little more accepted within our community. We have met so many wonderful and valuable people over the years, and I have been fortunate to maintain friendships with a good number of them.

There was a time when I thought I would be able to take over Greenleaf Coven. However, I’ve come to the realization that it won’t be possible. The reason for that is because I don’t believe anyone will ever be able to accept me as HPS of Greenleaf. That’s because I’m not – it will always be Pat.

The final decision, of course, is up to the High Priest and High Priestess of Greenleaf Coven. I know in the past they have discussed the possibility of stepping down and letting others handle Sabbats and rituals. Some of us have stepped up and done just that, but none of us will ever be able to fill their shoes completely.
If Greenleaf were to be dissolved, we would of course continue our projects such as “The Pagan Show” and Pagans in the Park. I would certainly hate to see any of those go by the wayside. My hope is that the Pagan community at large would be more receptive to working with those of us within Greenleaf if we no longer carried that tag around. I would like to see it as a fresh start for some, maybe even the whole area.

Thoughts on the election

Yesterday was a rather momentous day - no matter who you were voting for. Granted, I am a "tree-hugging liberal," and yes, my candidate won, but either way, we were going to see history made. But now that it's over, it's time to get down to the real work at hand.

We all know our nation has been splintered for years by the whole "we're right, you're wrong" mentality that's been permeating not only our government, but our communities. I've seen in our own backyard, within the Pagan community. How sad is that? Here we are, supposedly standing up for each other and trying to protect our family, our friends, our neighbors from the attacks we've faced for years, and we've been so busy telling each other how wrong we are that we've lost most of our cohesion. Why are we doing this? Have we become so complacent that we just don't care about community anymore? Can we truly afford to be so divided?

I'm thinking "no," folks.

If anything, these past few years would have been a really good time for us to pull together and show true unity, not turn on each other and try to prove how superior this bunch is compared to that bunch. I know, I know, there are quite a few places in the world where there hasn't been any in-fighting and their sense of community is stronger now that it ever was, but all I've got to deal with is my own little corner of the world right now. If you are a p and live in the Southwest corner of Missouri, then you know it's not exactly all warm and fuzzy around here, and that's coming from our own people.

For the past couple of years, I've been trying to think of some way to see this part of world come back together like it used to be. Is that possible, or are we screwed? Have we destroyed our respect for each other so much that we will never be able to see a sense of community like we used to? I'd like to think we are more mature than that.There are some fresh faces locally, folks that have been seeking, but have not found their path yet. Folks that want to be a part of the greater good. That gives me a great deal of hope. I am actually seeing movement forward. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad to see it's finally happening.

The next step is going to be getting those of us that have been around for a while to stand up and be willing to help guide these new people. I know, times have been tough lately, but we are seeing the dawn of a new day and I don't want to get left behind, stuck in the same ruts we've been in for that last few years. I know that I can feel hope again. I can see possibility again. We need to move forward and capture some of this momentum for ourselves.I am also seeing a change for Pagans and Wiccans in general. For many, many years we have taught and worshipped in a rather haphazard manner, each of us doing our own thing and not being concerned with it. That's fine - I honestly have no problem with that - but I also believe that it will be our demise if we continue to ignore the fact that we are growing, and sometimes it's good to have a little organization.

Yes, that's right! I said it! ORGANIZATION!!!

Seriously, though, if you look at some of the bigger groups across the country, how do you think they got where they are? Circle Sanctuary, Aquarian Tabernacle, Reclaiming - it didn't "just happen." They put effort into creating what they have, and I believe that if the Pagans in this area want to see something similar, we are going to have to put forth the effort with more than just lip service. We have a lot of intelligent and talented people around here - I don't want to see that go to waste.

So - let's do this. It's a new day - Carpe Diem!

Playing Catch-up

I have been lax in my writings as of late.

It's been a rough few months. I lost my job and I'm just now getting to a point again where I can say I'm getting back on my feet. No sooner did I lose my job then I found out a young man I had dated for a couple of years had decided to take his own life. That was - tough. He was young and pretty, and he had a daughter that at one time I believed gave him hope for his future.

I thought that would be the end of my bad news, but this morning I have learned that yet another friend has developed a potentially debilitating disease - counting my father, that makes four people in the last year that I know who have either developed or are on the verge of developing diabetes. Two of those people are younger than me.

I feel I have spent entirely too much time sitting idly by while my friends die or commit gruesome crimes or become horribly ill. What the hell is going on? It's almost as if our entire Pagan community has been cursed, and we are all doomed. I cannot help but feel there is something very wrong with all of this. We need to do something. We need to quit walking around with our noses in the air, pretending we don't see each other and get everyone going in a good direction. But I feel so powerless to do anything. I have zero support from the people around me. Something has to be done, though. Somehow, . . . .