Merry Meet!
This website contains information regarding alternative religions in general; Wicca and other forms of Paganism, specifically. It is not online to bash or promote any religion, mainstream or otherwise. It's purposes are twofold: to serve as a resource for Pagans,and to promote understanding among those of religious paths different from ours. It is our fervent hope in this cause that the more we know about each other, the less there'll be to fear from each other.
Neo-Paganism has been a growing alternative religious path for decades now. While some claim hereditary lineage, most of today's groups are descended, at least in essence, from those which came into the public view in the 1940's and 1950's. Individuals such as Janet and Stewart Ferrar, Gerald Gardner, and Gavin and Yvonne Frost took courageous strides in coming out of the broom closet at a time when many countries still enforced anti-witchcraft laws. Today, although many of us still fight for the right to openly follow our spiritual path, Interfaith Councils across the United States have invited Wiccans to join as full participants, each representative working towards a world where "tolerance" has been replaced by "appreciation."
We are "Every /Man". We're sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, your next door neighbors. We can be found in any career field, from gardener and laborer to wildlife management and forestry; from doctor and nurse to any of the high tech career fields. Many of us volunteer in our communities, often for churches to which we hold no allegience, save that which ties us to all humankind. We try to maintain close ties to friends and extended family despite the frenzied pace of life. And, like devout adherents to any path, we take our religion and spirituality seriously.
Paganism encompasses many different branches, and what one says about one path will not necessarily be true for others. Some pagans are polytheistic; others are pantheistic. Some of us believe in an omniscient Creator, worshipped in a form as reflected in the world around us - as both male and female. As the female of every species here below gives birth, so do we worship the Goddess aspect above as Creatrix, for giving life to the world.
While people of differing religions may never agree on the forms and practices of worship or ritual, the fact remains that many of the teaching stories in each religion are strikingly similar, even from ancient days. Likewise, while individual customs of a society will fine-tune ethical behavior with respect to the culture, the principal ethos remains the same regardless of religion, country, or time. We Wiccans call that tenet the "Rede;" Christians know it as "the Golden Rule." Harm no one; do good to others; love your neighbor as yourself; these are some of the concepts embodied within that ethos. It is in that spirit that this website is dedicated, as was the BBS which preceded it.
Where there is love there can be no fear."