Religion is an extremely sensitive subject.  Even those that do not claim to follow a religion are usually adamant in their denials of faith.  Discussions about religion with people that practice different belief systems often move from thoughtful, logical discussions to emotional and irrational arguments. Many religious groups obviously believe their way is the only way.  They attack the practices of others when they are different from their own, ignoring obvious commonalities and opportunities for dialog.  Usually what those groups know and say about us and what practice is wrong (either they do not care or have information from bad sources). I’d like to think that we as Pagans are…

Pagan Education Learning a Pagan path is a daunting task.  Because everyone’s path is a little different, there isn’t a set curriculum to act as a guide along the way.  Most of us learn about Paganism on our own by reading books and finding information online.  Although we also learn from meeting others, most people I meet seem to apply a self-study approach. Self-study has many advantages over a set of courses and guides.  It can provide for a more personal exploration of our path and allows us to investigate other areas when we’re interested.  It allows us to take the time we need – most of us are busy…

Privately Pagan:  In the Broom Closet I’m “in the broom closet”. It’s one of the most frustrating and difficult parts of being Pagan for me.  I live in the United States and I have rights and freedoms to practice my beliefs as I wish.  But, when it comes to being Pagan, there are consequences for being open and public about it. We can easily find a story in the news about a Pagan woman losing her right to see her children, someone losing their job or passed over for a promotion, someone’s home being vandalized or threatened, or children being teased or ridiculed for their parent’s beliefs.  It isn’t fair.…

The Internet is an interesting place to learn about something, especially religion. With all that is available it should be a great source of information. Many times it isn’t. There are diamonds in the rough, though; authors, bloggers, sites and forums that truly provide a rich learning experience for new and old Pagans alike.   Like many new Pagans in the Internet era, I started my research online. I used the same search terms as probably any other looking into this for the first time – “Wicca”, “Pagan”, “Witch”, “Druid”, etc. And again, like many others, I found plenty of places – from “Wicca 101” and Celtic Reconstructionist sites to…

Pagan Communities I met my first Pagan group at a local coffee shop.  After reading books and participating online I realized I was missing something – an in-person community that shared my beliefs.  I wanted to be part of a community that I could learn and grow with. I found the group on meetup.com and went to their next public meeting.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect or what they would be like.  I was extremely nervous.I ended up meeting a wonderful group of welcoming people who were ready to help a new Pagan find his way around.  Since that initial meeting I’ve been to several other meetups with them,…

The first Pagan books I read were Scott Cunningham’s “Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner” and Margot Adler’s “Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America”. They were recommended by people I met at a local metaphyiscal shop as a good place to start – one as a good introduction to Wicca and one as something of an encyclopedia of many different Pagan paths.  I bought the books, along with a couple of others, and went on my way. I started with Scott Cunningham’s book.  It was exciting.  I could feel my own journey beginning, learning about something new (to me, anyway); something that I…

I started practicing Paganism as a solitary practitioner in 2010.   In that short time my life has changed quite a bit and I’ve learned more than I thought there was to know. From reading books to meeting people, I’ve had the opportunity to see the world through new eyes. It has been an amazing experience, and I know it’s just the beginning.   But it hasn’t been all roses.   Most people on this path know how difficult being a new Pagan can be. The overwhelming differences in belief systems, the stigma we face from others that don’t take the time to understand us, finding books at libraries and…