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The past year or so has been an interesting time for the Pagan community nationwide. Fort Hood, Texas; Crystal Seifferly in Michigan; Bob Barr's meetings in Georgia; the Parliament of World Religions in South Africa; the whole Pan Pagan site fracas in Indiana - these things have all contributed to a feeling of both hope and fear for everyone. Personally, it has only called into sharp relief the feeling that Pagans as a whole need to put aside the petty little Witch Wars and work together because things are coming to a head. We are not the tiny little anonymous groups that we were back in the early 1980's when I first started.
At that time, I recall having no contact with anyone outside my coven, aside from the occasional book (found always at small, independent bookstores) and, once in a while, a newsletter or two from Circle, which was brand new back then, or Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess. Thanks to the internet and the efforts of authors willing to get the word out, we have national and international groups and national and international attention - whether we want it or not. It is time to stop acting as if the world revolved only around our little covens or groups. "Think globally, act locally." Yes, this phrase has been used so many times by various Pagans that it has become almost cliche, but it is still valid.
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately," were the words of Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
What Ben Franklin said to his fellow signers then is just as true today for our community. Let's be real folks, we are a religious minority in this polyglot nation, and we are not a very popular one with certain other religious groups. According to the latest figures from the census that Covenant of the Goddess has been doing (and is still doing, if you haven't participated, please do - http://www.cog.org/cogpoll.html - it only takes a minute and you are not asked your name or anything like that ), there are likely 600,000 Pagans in the United States of various traditions. This is based on the response rate for the first three months of the poll. Admittedly, 600,000 is a lot of people but, for comparison, it is less than the population of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, and is about 1/10th the population of Chicago if you include the suburbs. There are close to 300 MILLION people in the US, and you can safely bet right now that most of them are some form of Christian. So our little group, as wonderful as it is to us, is about 1/2 of 1 percent of the national population.
In other words, we are big enough to get noticed, and too small to have much of a voice unless we act together. Now, before someone jumps on my back, I am not Christian-bashing by mentioning that they outnumber us, I am pointing out a fact. They do, and they will for the foreseeable future. Some Christians are wonderful people, some are close-minded, bigoted fanatics who have openly and publicly called for a return to what they call "The Christian Nation our forefathers intended this country to be". These loudmouths are a minority in their religion as well, but they are a vocal, UNITED minority. They feel no compunction about harassing and harming those who they feel threaten their vision. There are also folks of goodwill who simply react negatively from fear and a lack of knowledge of what Paganism is in the modern world. We must be willing to work together as one people to counter the loudmouths and dispel the fears of the unknowing. (I don't want to use the word ignorant because it can be misconstrued as a statement on their intelligence, instead of being a statement of their knowledge.)
This does not mean that I feel we should create one melting pot Paganism and forget our individual traditions. What it does mean is that I feel that we need to look beyond tradition or group and see the fact that under it all we honor the Gods and Goddesses by whatever name and that because we do, we are one kindred. As it stands, we are our own worst enemies. It just doesn't have to be this way.
I've seen positive inroads made in many places. The Council of Magickal Arts in Texas is one such instance. They are a group of Pagans statewide of all sorts of traditions. They have organized and worked together, and together they came out, a couple hundred strong, to support the Pagan community at Fort Hood and the nearby Pagan shop that became a target of the angry Christian groups when it became evident that the Base Commander was not going to let them protest on base. The Detroit Pagan community is another. When Crystal Seifferly went to court because she was being kept from wearing her pentacle in school, the Detroit community did not leave her hanging alone. They helped raise money to pay for the representation provided by the ACLU. They spoke to the press on behalf of her and Paganism in general. They lent her and her family moral support during the worst of it. These are shining examples of what we can be when we are mature enough to put minor differences and egos aside and work together to make something positive.
From my own sad experience I have seen that too many people worry that someone taking initiative is trying to be in charge of us all. Or they worry that if someone starts something new it will detract from what they are doing now. Let those who see a need fill it. Responsible means "able to respond" when all is said and done. Quill and the Frater saw a need for a newsletter for the Michiana area, and they went out and provided one. Several folks saw a need for everyone to have a place to meet outside of circle and the Pagan Nights Out commenced. Many different people have seen the need for quality clothes, jewelry, incense, and other items produced by Pagans for Pagans, and as a result, we have such businesses as Wiccan Ware, Azuregreen, and Whispered Prayers. No one that I know of is trying to be Witch Queen, here or anywhere else. We are all trying to do our parts as we see the need and have the abilities to fulfill. That is all any of us can do. The point is when you see someone taking the initiative to do something that needs doing, instead of complaining or knocking them, try being supportive. If you're not sure what their intentions are, try shutting up and finding out. "E pluribus unum" - "Out of many, one." is not just a fitting motto for our nation, it is also a fitting motto for the Pagan community. Our diversity can be and should be our strength, not our weakness. We could not have come as far as we have if it were not for the efforts of those who gave enough of a damn to make a difference and put their energy and love into making things better.
- Dreamweaver