The Pagan Pride Project

[spaceprincess18]

I have participated in past Pagan Pride Day celebrations, and find them to be a great way to connect with other people who, if they don't share the same beliefs, share the same experiences you have. I like the thought. How about you?
http://www.paganpride.org/

I sometimes wonder if they may take it too far. I like the idea of religious tolerance and building bridges, but are we building bridges by renouncing others?  

[Starlock]

I hope to participate in these in the future once I'm a bit more settled (hopefully within the next year). What makes you feel that they're renouncing other bridges, though, out of curiosity?  

[spaceprincess18]

Starlock

I hope to participate in these in the future once I'm a bit more settled (hopefully within the next year). What makes you feel that they're renouncing other bridges, though, out of curiosity?

I don't think the entir project is renouncing bridges, just some of the groups within the project. There were a few groups this year more into making Pagan pride known than making Pagans accepted. I personally hope it works the way it's supposed to, one tends to wilt in a world devoid of acceptance before long.  

[TeaDidikai]

spaceprincess18

How about you?

Pretty much a waist of time in my opinion.

They give a false sense of community based not on common ground- but on an "Us, not them" mentallity.

The idea that I have something in common with the pagan scene based on the fact that I am not a follower of YHVH is a little absurd. Most of the "discussions" about "common threads" degenerate into three main categories. Mr. Darks, "More Spiritual than Thou" and "Oppression! Never again the Burning Tymes!"

I tend not to want to fuel Mr. Darks for obvious reasons. I know some amazing Christian and Jewish Mystics that have far more to offer in way of insight than the Pagans who flip when a Otherling knocks on their door asking to borrow a cup of sugar, and the main theme of oppression I see usually has to do with either "Oh Noze! My parent's won't let me violate hospitality without being punished!" or "The courts are punishing me because of my religion"- which ignores the fact that the person is an unfit mother in their own right.

In short- I think it is asinine to associate with people not based on the quality of their friendship, their information or any other measure of quality- but based solely on the fact that they are not XYZ.  

[Sir_Catherine]

This is why I enjoy this guild, or rather a part of it. The tollerance and willing to accept people based on their value as people versus their faith or membership of a certain group.

I am always quite leery of 'pride' groups, including pro-Christianity groups. I add the last because I am Christian (Lutheran).

I don't like being made to feel guilty for being Anglo-American, Christian, young, or what not. Nor do I wish to make a man feel guilty for being male or for others to feel second class because they are not these things.

I've had some irritating secondhand encounters with the 'Black Student Union' group at my university. One semester they sent a paper to each person living on campus that stated...
"Did you know you are hurting your friends with racism?"

I realize it's mainly in the phrasing, but this statment sounded very accusatory and yet was sent to each student on a mainly 'white' campus. Gee, didn't know I was racist.

Okay, pardon the rant. Just one more thing: I detest the terms 'white' and 'black'. Especialy 'white' because it has become a label that, in a liberal university setting, means one must feel guilty for who one is and ones racial past. Yet, the term says nothing about my racial past. Grrr.  

[Sir_Catherine]

Oh!

Who or what is 'Mr. Darks'? I'm clueless and would like to be filled in. smile

Thank you.  

[PirateEire]

Y'know, I went to a pagan pride festival with my girlfriend when she was still associated with the mentally not-well grad students that made up the body of the University of Minnesota Pagan Society.

I liked the bumper stickers they were selling, but I was a tad turned off by the polyamory booth and this strange old man who came up to me and started talking to me about crystals and would not shut up.

...good times.  

[Deoridhe]

Sir_Catherine

Oh!

Who or what is 'Mr. Darks'? I'm clueless and would like to be filled in. smile

Thank you.

I bumped up a coupe of threads on it. ^^  

[TeaDidikai]

PirateEire

started talking to me about crystals and would not shut up.

Did he detail the light refractions within quartz? twisted  

[TheDisreputableDog]

PirateEire

Y'know, I went to a pagan pride festival with my girlfriend when she was still associated with the mentally not-well grad students that made up the body of the University of Minnesota Pagan Society.

I liked the bumper stickers they were selling, but I was a tad turned off by the polyamory booth and this strange old man who came up to me and started talking to me about crystals and would not shut up.

...good times.

Heh, I probably would've been interested in the polyamory booth. razz I had a crazy crystal guy too, but mine just caught me at the booth selling various stones and kept telling me I looked like his sister. neutral

Trying to remember what the one I've been to was like; it was a couple years ago and I wasn't in a good life situation at the time. There was a discussion about divination, your typical neopagan group circle ritual... I remember one of the local AsatruR organized a sumbel--as far as I can remember, I dedicated my three toasts to Pele, J. R. R. Tolkien, and some female ancestor I'd never met. rolleyes  

[Pelta]

TheDisreputableDog

Heh, I probably would've been interested in the polyamory booth. razz I had a crazy crystal guy too, but mine just caught me at the booth selling various stones and kept telling me I looked like his sister. neutral

Two years ago I worked at the closest thing we have to pagan pride here; a big fair in the summer. I was the crazy person at a crystal booth selling exorbitant amounts of white sage. We were also opposite the stand selling the candles shaped like certain portions of the male body...

It was an interesting day. I wouldn't do it again.  

[Deoridhe]

missmagpie

Two years ago I worked at the closest thing we have to pagan pride here; a big fair in the summer. I was the crazy person at a crystal booth selling exorbitant amounts of white sage. We were also opposite the stand selling the candles shaped like certain portions of the male body...

It was an interesting day. I wouldn't do it again.

I work at a new age conference every year and once received a press pass to a very expensive conference nearby. It's an interesting kind of thing. One of my favorites was Max the Authentic Crystal Skull; for $60 you could meditate with him for an hour for visions of the End Times. If I didn't work there, I would have brought Fred, the Authentic Plastic Skull, which, for $0.60 you could meditate with for a minute for visions of the Store End Times. However, as staff, I have to be good.

I'll never forget the guy who wanted to bring the audiences' chakras to the same level. OMG, wackjob.  

[PirateEire]

TeaDidikai

PirateEire

started talking to me about crystals and would not shut up.

Did he detail the light refractions within quartz? twisted

Honestly? He very well may have, but I am surprisingly good at completely blocking out things directly in front of me and retreating into my own little world. <3  

[Sir_Catherine]

missmagpie

TheDisreputableDog

Heh, I probably would've been interested in the polyamory booth. razz I had a crazy crystal guy too, but mine just caught me at the booth selling various stones and kept telling me I looked like his sister. neutral

Two years ago I worked at the closest thing we have to pagan pride here; a big fair in the summer. I was the crazy person at a crystal booth selling exorbitant amounts of white sage. We were also opposite the stand selling the candles shaped like certain portions of the male body...

It was an interesting day. I wouldn't do it again.

Out of pure curiosity, may I ask 'why'?  

[Pelta]

Sir_Catherine

missmagpie

TheDisreputableDog

Heh, I probably would've been interested in the polyamory booth. razz I had a crazy crystal guy too, but mine just caught me at the booth selling various stones and kept telling me I looked like his sister. neutral

Two years ago I worked at the closest thing we have to pagan pride here; a big fair in the summer. I was the crazy person at a crystal booth selling exorbitant amounts of white sage. We were also opposite the stand selling the candles shaped like certain portions of the male body...

It was an interesting day. I wouldn't do it again.

Out of pure curiosity, may I ask 'why'?

Mostly because he tried to underpay me. stare

I missed all the events that were going on (which turned out to be rather unexciting anyway by all accounts) and there were some true oddballs. Some of them I didn't mind. Like the guy who rubbed sage between his hands and went about smelling them the rest of the day. I also really liked the guy from the gemstone jewellry stall next to us. He did me a huge favour the year before. Nonetheless there were some truly stupid stands. Like the person who was selling fake plastic stuff as gemstones, and the stall that was given to the daughter of the person organising the festival because she's related... Not that her artwork wasn't any good, it just seemed a little suspect. There were three good stalls: the jewellry, the "druids" selling bone knives and the bodran stand. Oh yeah and don't get me started on the "druids." These are the guys who still (even in public) go about in ceremonial white linen/flannel robes with leather bags and long beards. They're a bit... odd.