Memberships, Tithing, and Pagans

This model of collaborative fundraising for communities/goals is possible, and would have the opportunity of providing more, and better, services, for our growing communities. It depends largely on our ability in Pagan community to learn to get along and get past the egotism and interpersonal bashing that has gone on in the past; so many of us have been through it, and it happens again and again. It doesn’t have to.

It also requires Pagans reframing how they see money.

Some Pagan/New Age stores count on the fact that a new Pagan will spend something like $200-$500 in their first year buying supplies like athames, statues, cauldrons, herbs, and other things that intro to Paganism books “tell” them they need. Yet within three years, the amount of money the person spends will drop off as they realize they don’t need all those tools to do spiritual work. The paradox here is that it’s important for us to have Pagan stores, as so many of us doing community work depend on being able to offer classes or rituals at those stores. Those stores make money by selling books, supplies, and jewelry. So again, we’re stuck in the capitalist trap.

I’ve also seen people grumble about donating $25 to a weekend-long (16-20 hours of instruction) class I was teaching on ritual arts, and then drop $25 on a meal during our lunch hour. Mark told me that years ago he witnessed someone attend his class and say they couldn’t afford to donate, but during the break time they bought $40 in books and jewelry at the store.

It’s a matter of values -- not an abstract philosophical concept, but value -- what I value, what I spend my money on. If you’re unwilling to spend money on a Pagan workshop, but have no problems spending $50 on a Pentacle necklace with a moonstone, that’s worth exploring. If you find you balk at giving $5 a month to your Pagan organization, but you spend $5 a day on coffee, you might look at what you value. If you’re barely making ends meet and only wish you had $5 to give to your local organization, maybe you can offer something in work trade, like a necklace you’ve made, a book you’re done reading, a tarot reading, to help the organization raise money.

As Margaret Mead (and many others) have said, a small, committed group of people can change the world. Or, in this case, a small committed group of people can grow a healthy and sustainable organization that serves their spiritual needs as well as makes it easier for the new Pagans to come in.

Reprinted with permission from http://shaunaaura.wordpress.com/.

A mystic, shamanic, ecstatic spiritual seeker, Shauna Aura Precourt is inspired by mythic imagination, awakening the vision of the impossible, and the song of sustainable community. She teaches throughout the Midwest, and her organization, Ringing Anvil, offers an intensive educational program in the transformative arts of community leadership, ritual, and spiritual growth.

With thirteen years of experience as a leader in grass-roots organizations and as an artist, writer, designer, and marketing strategist, she has organized conferences, themed events, and created rituals, shrines, and art installations. She is a graduate of the Diana’s Grove leadership and ritual arts program and the Chicago C3 leadership program in environmental sustainability. She can be contacted at [email protected].