The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/pagan/page/6)
After reading the Wild Hunt article on the Community Wreath, Babette Petiot, a French Polytheist living in the Auvergne countryside, decided to begin a community wreath in France. When I read about this project, called Aureole Païenne, I immediately contacted Babette. I was terribly curious about the Pagan experience in France. Which traditions are prevalent? What obstacles do they face? Where do they make spiritual purchases?
Today, I’m going to share with you a personal revelation – an admission, of sorts. I frequently write about my Jewish upbringing. But now I must confess that I was really only Jew-ish. In actuality, I was raised a “none.”
As I child, I lived in a wholly secular family environment. We didn’t have a mezuzah. We didn’t belong to a temple. Religion had no place in our lives. Words like “prayer,” “faith” and “God” were foreign terms used by other people. Existence was explained through science and philosophy.
Last week I presented the question of Pagan solidarity. Does it exist? Should it exist? What is the impact and evolution of such a concept? Generally speaking, it is widely accepted that Pagan solidarity, in some form, is vital for both the protection and continued growth of the non-traditional religions that fall under the Pagan umbrella.
Last week, I reported on the Atlanta Pagan community’s wreath project. As explained, the wreath’s purpose is to build a sense of solidarity for that Pagan community. Following the post, several readers launched into a discussion that probed the very nature and meaning of Pagan solidarity. As one reader asked, “What is the purpose?”
Additionally, readers explored the concept of solitary solidarity. Can such a thing exist? Or, as one reader put it, is the concept of the solitary group “oxymoronic?”
These are serious sociological questions that, in exploring, could help to define modern Pagan practice as it expands and diversifies.
In November the media, along with The Wild Hunt, reported that the Charity Commission for Wales and England declined the the Pagan Federation’s request for charity status in the U.K. Upon hearing the unfortunate news, I worked with my fellow Covenant of the Goddess board members to offer support, “across the pond,” to those diligently working to achieve that coveted status. As a result, I had the pleasure of corresponding with the president of the Pagan Federation, Chris Crowley. Our brief exchange gave me a much better understanding of the situation and I present my findings to you. In a letter dated Oct. 4, 2012, the Charity Commission for Wales and England, a government organization charged with the regulation of all charity organizations, informed the Pagan Federation that its application for charity status had been rejected.