http://www.ecis.com/~alizard/pagan.html
Permission for non-commercial distribution of this document is
granted on condition that this document and this notice remain
intact, quotes may be used with attribution. For commercial use,
contact A.Lizard at the address above.
This document was last completely updated in 1995, this is a
drastic revision in progress, don't take any phone numbers you
see seriously. The early version can be found at occtadvc.u. . . here as a historical reference only.
If you're reading this on my site, there will be some duplication
in coverage, as it's intended as a stand-alone document.
This document contains general data on where to get more
information on paganism (books, etc.) and how to find other
pagans and pagan organizations. The biggest change in the pagan /
Wiccan / occult (NOT the same thing) community reflects the
biggest change in the world in the last few years. While I'm
still using the same (well, updated) text editor I used back in
'95, I'm writing this in raw html. This change, of course, the
growth of the Internet. This change happened faster in our scene
since pagans were extremely early adopters of the computer and
communications technologies that have changed the face of the
earth. . . or at least what we do on it.
First, go on line. Chances are, of course, you're looking at this
on my Website. If you're reading this in print, if you've got a
computer and you're online, go to the address on top of the
screen, there are plenty of pagan / magick / Wicca sites out
there of varying quality, some links are on the Pagan Resources
Page on my site. If you aren't, get there. Your computer probably
came with a modem. Your community should have at least one,
(Internet Service Provider), it probably has several. If you
don't, should be able to get a (PC-internal card) modem for
around $50, if you've got a Mac without one, you can save money by
getting an external PC type modem and the DB25 to MiniDIN-8 adapter
cable.
If you don't, hopefully, you've got a like-minded friend with a
computer. Or, your public library probably has a Internet
terminals patrons can use. I suggest the Internet, more
specifically the WorldWideWeb because that way, you can go
religion / affiliation shopping without a huge cash investment in
books.
BOOKS
See if you can find an occult (if you're REAL lucky) /
metaphysical / New Age bookstore in your town... I don't know
your area, check the bookstore listings in your phone book (you
MIGHT have to go to the nearest major city to find one, depends
on what part of the US you're from.) If you're seriously lucky,
it'll have used books selected by someone who knows what she's
about. In any case, check the (paper) bulletin board for local
telephone contacts. If not, just about every bookstore these days
has a "metaphysical" or "occult" section. Ask. (if you're in the
Bible Belt, you might be better off looking for yourself, or
going out of town to shop.)
1. Find some good books. I recommend starting with Real Magic, by
P.E.I. Bonewits. It's a pretty good overview of magick and has
thumbnail sketches of the belief structure of most pagan
religions. It also has an EXTENSIVE bibligraphy, after reading
the book, you should be able to figure out from it what you want
to read next and possibly what pagan religious traditions fit you
best. It also has contact addresses for pagan groups. Get the
latest edition! (contact addresses go out of date REAL fast.)
Drawing Down the Moon (Adler) is a description of the pagan
community. Get the latest edition! More contact addresses for
pagan groups. Spiral Dance (Starhawk) Wiccan beliefs / practices
/ magick ... some good psychic exercises...
The pagan Internet section of this document has been dropped. The
Pagan Resources page of my Website has plenty of places to go, return to
that page if you want to look there. Actually, any contact or
publication listing in this listing that isn't hyperlinked should be
taken with a grain of salt, this document is still being revised /
updated.
My pagan page (if you didn't get to this document from there) is a good
starting place, http://www.ecis.com/~alizard/pagan.html.
Another very good place: http://www.witchvox.com
2. Find some good people. NEVER PUT YOUR HOME ADDRESS IN AN AD
REQUESTING PAGAN CONTACT! Get a P.O. Box. or a box at a private
mailbox company. Also, never post an contact ad under your "real"
name on the Internet pagan newsgroups. (the "Real Name" field in
your news reader can be filled in with a handle, or cyberspace
pen name, and should be.) Some people who see that ad might use
it to harass you (e.g. on the job, in child custody cases...) and
not everyone who calls themselves "pagan" or "Wiccan" should be
trusted. Never meet someone you don't know in a private place.
Meet in a public place like a cafeteria or restaurant or library.
a. If you're responding to a post on a pagan/ magick/ occult sub
/ conference/ newsgroups (name to fit whatever network you got
this from), see who's posting from there locally and E-mail them,
find out what they're into. If there aren't any and you know the
sysop/sysadmin (e.g. if he's a member of the Religious Right, ask
someone else!), ask for one or ask for a list of available
subs/conferences/newsgroups/echoes and figure out which ones you
want and ask for them. This advice dates from quite a few years ago.
Specifically, if your Internet Service Provider doesn't carry
alt.pagan.* , alt.magick.* , soc.religion.paganism, alt.witchcraft,
etc., you might ask your provider why, but I'd suggest looking for
another ISP that isn't censoring their incoming newsfeed for content.
Particularly since an ISP that's run by Xtian fanatics is likely to be
monitoring subscriber mail as well.
b. Check (paper) bulletin boards at occult/New Age/metaphysical
bookstores. Add your own contact advertisement. To find them in most
places, look for bookstores with names that suggest the above theme. If
you live in a small town in the Bible Belt, you may have to go to a
major city to find such a bookstore.
c. Also, subscribe to some pagan magazines: Circle Network News
is a good place to start. It's whole purpose is to help pagans
network with each other. Place an ad on the bulletin board at the
shop or in a magazine like Circle Network News.
Circle Network News PO Box 219 Mt Horeb, WI 53572 $9.00 /yr (4
issues)
Green Egg is $4.95 / issue US. Subscriptions $13 per year
US, $18 Canada or US first class, in an envelope], $24 per year
transAtlantic [air], $26 per year trans-Pacific air. Green Egg,
P.O. Box 1542, Ukiah, CA 95482 USA.
The other magazines mentioned in earlier versions of this have been
deleted, I don't know who's around and who isn't. The easiest way to
find pagan print magazines now is to go to Altavista.
In this case, the link is to the search result of entering "pagan
magazine"
d. Find out if there is a generic pagan group for networking
purposes in your area. The shop or magazine can help here too.
Also write to nationally recognized groups like: Covenant of the Goddess PO Box 1226 Berkeley, CA 94701
(www.cog.org)
e. Another contact resource is the on-line computer bulletin
boards and services such as AOL, etc. While BBS systems aren't as
important as they used to be, there are still quite a few around if you
know where to look for them.
If you're into the local BBS scene, chances are, there are
conferences that your sysop can choose to carry dealing with
these topics. The advantage of this scene is that the conferences
are generally moderated. . . posts by Jesus freaks either never
make it to the real world or they and their writers get deleted
at once. . . and the pace is slower, you can be away from it for
a day or two without worry that you'll never catch up with what's
the discussion. There are generally fewer people. . . who know
each other which heightens the sense of community. If you aren't,
the easiest way to find one is via Internet, there are a fair
number of listings on the Web, many BBS systems
have telnet gateways.
They generally carry on-line bulletin board listings, either
as BBS listings are carried in computer tabloids and other
computer publications (preferably local for finding local
systems), check paper bulletin boards at computer stores, once
you find ANY local computer bulletin board, you can start calling
the BBS numbers in the listings until you either find a BBS with
pagan discussions, either local or networked or a
sysop/sysadmin/friend in the computer room you are comfortable
enough with to ask to carry networked pagan discussions from
whatever source.
Pagan discussions are carried on networks such as Icenet,
VBBS-Net, Fido-Net (rare), WWIV-net, Usenet where you can find
the alt-magick and alt-pagan newsgroups on Usenet, (good luck on
finding locals THERE, though) and PODS-net (Fido compatible) is
occult/pagan... if you find a local BBS that carries PODS, or a
full-feed (ALL Usenet newsgroups) Internet site you're in
business. I also suggest you request the alt.pagan newsgroup FAQ.
The WWIV scene is pretty much dead, I think, though WWIVnet is still
alive and well and carried pagan conferences last time I looked a few
months ago.
f. Another contact resource (not personally familiar with this
one, consider that a disclaimer) Another source to check is with
the local Unitarian Universalist church.
quote========================== Some may have a chapter of the
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS). Others may not
yet be that organized, but have small groups that celebrate the
full moon, etc. UU offers an interesting workshop in feminist
and goddess thealogy called Cakes for the Queen of Heaven. CUUPs
(Covenant of Unitarian Univeralist Pagans) is a loose affiliation
of Wiccan and other pagan groups within the UU church. There is
a national organization which publishes a (theoretically
quarterly) newsletter, and individual chapters associated with
various UU congregations. (There are other congregations who
will pretend they've never heard of CUUPs... UU churches vary a
good deal.) Chapters I know of firsthand function as open worship
circles, sponsoring public full moon and Sabbat rituals, plus
some workshops and discussion groups. CUUPs doesn't require that
you be UU, only that you be able to get along with Unitarians
(not a big problem) It's a good place for a newcomer to get a
taste of the Craft and meet people in the pagan community.
Contact at: CUUPS.
g) local pagan festivals. a weekend in an environment of
co-religionists can provide a great number of contacts, though
many will be from some distance away. East Coast events: Pagan
Spirit (near boston at spring equinox), Free Spirit(baltimore,
midsummer) and maybe Starwood (Southern NYS Lammas). Check into
some of the the 'Cons' of a more conventional fannish structure
with magical leanings, Ecumennicon for instance."
h) check out groups with higher than average pagan membership,
e.g. the SCA, the Fen, and some radical ecology groups. If you
like structured rituals, try osecrucians, Spiritualists, or the
ADF. The SCA worked for me, but it helps a great deal there if
you have at least a little interest in history."
i) open your own bookstore/ecumenical council for people of the
circle.
j) For Military pagans : If you are experiencing harassment from
your military superiors regarding Wiccan practices, a description
of Wicca is in the USAF Military Chaplain's
Handbook (may be in other services' handbooks as well) which
actually is a pretty fair description of Wiccan belief and practices and
also indicates official recognition. This MAY help. You should contact the Military Pagan Network at
http://cathouse.com/mpn/ .
3. Practice what you find in the books and see in the on-line
posts. If it doesn't work, keep trying. If it doesn't fit you,
try something else. Don't be afraid to ask for help, learning
magick, like learning computing, means asking lots of "stupid"
questions, we all have to start somewhere. Most of this document
is from anonymous contributors, my thanks to them. Bright
Blessings and the Goddess Blessing go with you A.Lizard
A.Lizard can be reached at:alizard@ecis.com or alizard@onebox.com
(last resort backup address).