I’ve been reading books that discuss public rituals. I’ve been a solitary. I don’t even know any other pagans besides people online. But attending a public ritual has been something that is sounding better and better to me.
I’m not really a joiner. I don’t want to add another committment to my life. I think this is a response to my Christian upraising that said that either you go to church every time the doors are open or you shouldn’t go at all. People who only came to church occasionally were definately looked down on as not serious about their faith. The people who only came on Christmas and Easter were considered to be the worst of all.
My other concern about finding a group is totally shallow and stereotypical and just not right. This is a holdover from the Christianity too. How do I know that these people won’t be total freaks? After all, they are pagans. LOL. I don’t want to be getting into some drama. I always hear about groups fighting online.
But today I started searching for local groups. To my absolute shock and amazement I found two very local groups. One is in the town I live in but I didn’t really like the vibe I got from the website. It was very brusque and condescending. The leaders were also into crazy craft names. Craft names are fine but these people had the kind that took a common word and added a bunch of other letters to it until made no sense whatsoever. Raven=Rwraavvyn type of thing. The proof-reader in me can’t handle that.
The other one is a bit farther away but seems much nicer. This group is specifically designed for solitaries to meet to celebrate the Sabbats. The organizer’s profile said that she wanted to meet other well mannered people and her dislikes listed “drama pagans.” This may be my type of group.
They are having a public ritual on Sunday for Ostara with a potluck afterwards. Food is a good thing. I send an email and she emailed me back and was very welcoming. She even invited me to come early to have coffee and meet people.
Its definately hard to find a good group. For the most part I prefer to be solitary, but I’m fortunate to have the Monkey Tribe for some group stuff as well. They encourage me to be more social.
That second group you found sounds promising, even though it is farther away. Hope you can find what you are looking for with them! Love to hear how the potluck & Ostara ritual goes!
I’m pretty solitary myself; have tried a few groups and none were quite right. But I understand the need, so best wishes!
Of late, I’ve been *needing* a group to practice with. Something inside me says “find like people.” At first I tried to ignore this nagging feeling deep in my soul. I felt that to go to some event, with a group of people, was my Christian roots calling out so I self-rebeled. But the nagging turned into a need and no longer could I ignore it. However, finding a group has been difficult at times.
The first attempt I made was at a UU church about 30 miles away. I still go to their events, but I know my needs are not being fufilled. There’s another group that I would like to get more involved with, but they meet sporatically and I’m looking for something a little more consistant.
My inner editor extends a hand of understanding to yours.