Frequently asked question: Why is it called Pagan Families?

As this site launches, it’s been really gratifying to get lots of positive feedback.  One reader commented on FaceBook:

What a great page! I wish I had found found a page like this whilst I was pregnant! Pretty hard to find pages like this
Blessings ♥

That is exactly why Pagan Families was born!

We’ve also been getting a lot of questions about the name and scope of the site.  Why is it called Pagan Families if it’s only about pregnancy and birth?

First of all, I reject the idea that a baby is necessarily what makes a family.  For some people a family is made when you say your handfasting vows, or when you realize the people you met in college will always be the ones who have your back, or maybe the strength of your family of origin means that having a baby constitutes adding someone to an existing family, not starting a new one.

The site is called Pagan Families because that name gives us lots of room to grow. I have two visions for the future growth of Pagan Families.  The first is to amass enough thoughtful and inspiring material to publish a book on Paganism and the childbearing year.  The second is to expand the site to cover other aspects of Pagan families, such as parenting and partnering.

For now though the goal is to focus on doing a really excellent job bringing you resources related to bringing new babies into the world.  That’s because my personal passion lies there and also because it’s something that Pagan culture is really lacking (as evidenced by that FaceBook comment I quoted above).  If we start with this focus and build a sound foundation, we can grow sustainably.

Meanwhile, there are already some great books and websites on Pagan parenting out there.  For example, here’s one list of books on Pagan parenting.  And congratulations are due to all the Pagan mom bloggers who came in among the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms at Circle of Moms.

So, for now anyway, we’re publishing resources related to the childbearing year.  I hope that we can stretch that category to be very expansive and inclusive.  If you’re a writer, by all means send us your essays, your poems, your ritual scripts, your prayers, your personal narratives, and your advice on topics ranging from Pagan contraception to conception to pregnancy to birth to adoption to pregnancy loss to the postpartum period.

And keep the feedback coming!  Feedback is most useful when it’s specific and actionable.  The more we can draw on the wisdom and experience of the Pagan communities, the more successful Pagan Families will be.