The Separation of UU and Pagan

Saturday was an amazing and exhausting day for me. As one of the organizers for Pagan Pride Day Omaha, I spent a whole lot of time running around during the event, putting out little fires and meeting new people and trying to make everyone feel comfortable in our extended community.

Now that I’ve had a bit of time to reflect, I’ve been thinking about what our extended community is like; a sizable group of people that pulls from Nebraska, Iowa, and sometimes even Kansas and South Dakota. Most identify as Pagan, though there are some who do not. But in the last three years that I’ve attended and helped to run these events, I have only met two other Pagans there who also identify as Unitarian Universalist.

I don’t want to generalize or paint every community with the same brush – I am sure there are many places where this is very different! My city is unique in a few ways. My UU congregation does not have a CUUPS group, but that’s primarily because there is a well-established Wiccan coven that meets for public circles there once a month.

Omaha, a nearby city where this Pagan Pride celebration was held, is home to two Unitarian Churches. The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Omaha is home to the Omaha Spirit Circle, a Pagan group that is in the process of becoming a CUUPS chapter. I unfortunately have never been able to make it for a meeting – the distance and the primary meeting time’s awkward place in my schedule are the biggest reason for that.

I can’t help but wonder what makes this divide. I know that Pagan Pride can be a big commitment, especially if you need people to man a booth or give a workshop. But I wonder why more UU Pagans don’t attend this big community-building event.

My working theory is this: the community that many Pagans crave is sort of a built-in feature of UU congregations. In my congregation, there are greeters to smile at you every Sunday, potlucks to enjoy, weeknight get-togethers for various groups. That’s something that my area’s relatively small Pagan population hasn’t done; especially since we only come together as a big community a few times a year.

It is food for thought, for me. I would really, really like more UU Pagans or the Pagan-leaning to get more involved, to attend and enjoy specifically Pagan events; but that’s probably my bias as an event organizer showing. I have made building up my local community a big priority in my life, and truth be told I want everyone to enjoy it like I do!

There are of course many good reasons why others may choose not to participate. But I do think knowing the reasons behind that help, in the long run, to build better resources for the community; and I want to continue exploring these reasons. Knowing why people are disinclined to participate in an event is valuable information, especially when the demographic is as large as UU Pagans and the UUs who are Pagan-leaning.

If this is a theme you have seen in your own area – UU Pagans sticking mostly to the UU fold rather than interacting with the larger Pagan community around them – please comment and tell me about your experience! And if you have experienced the opposite; Pagans and UU Pagans who have a community, work together, and exchange notes, please let me know what it’s like to watch that happen!