How Do We Respond to Conflict in Pagan Communities?

Conflict

Paganism, on the surface, seems like a retreat from the challenges posed by organized religion. Our great, mostly-pentacle-shaped umbrella, under which all shades, shapes and sizes of earth loving, god or goddess invoking creatures rest, looks to the untrained eye like a respite from bureaucracy, miscommunication, and any of the other ills of "The Church." It just isn't so. When people gather, organize and commit to being in relationship with one another, conflicts arise. This is an … [Read more...]

The Christo-Pagan Conflict

Last night, after our Full Moon ritual, I wound up in a conversation with a Wiccan Priest about Christo-Pagans. "Those two things are mutually exclusive," he said adamantly. Something about his tone drew me in. I'm not a conflict junkie, but I felt like this was territory I should explore. The ritual, which he had partly officiated, was focussed on the idea of being "in balance" or "out of balance," with an emphasis placed on communication. This opportunity to explore how some people … [Read more...]