Pagans- advice for finding pagan community?

Question

I used to be Wiccan, but have fallen off the path for the past few years. I'm looking to return to it. Does anyone have advice for finding pagan community, both on-line and in real life? I realize there are different types of Pagans. The reason I've been vague instead of asking specifically for "Wiccan", for example, is that I'm interested in learning more about different types of Pagan faiths. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, any book reccomendations would be great too. Thanks

Answer 1

Hi there :)

I've had a profile on Witchvox for a number of years; never had a problem with it. The nice thing about having a profile there is that if there's someone else near you also looking for pagans, they can contact you. However, your email address is kept private; WV has an online form that people use instead. That way you can choose whether to respond (and thereby give them your email) or not. Also, check out the Traditions section of WV (just scroll down to the bottom of the main page for links to the various sections).

Check http://pagans.meetup.com for your local area. Also, http://groups.yahoo.com is a really good resource; every time I move to a new city, I type in its name plus words like "pagan" to find relevant groups in the area. Again, if there isn't a group for your area, try starting one and see what happens.

Finally, I really like networking via Livejournal. There are some really solid pagan communities there, both local and global, and I've gotten some good contacts that way. Plus the conversation is good for trading ideas.

As for books, a good starting place is "Contemporary Paganism" by Graham Harvey, which details a number of neopagan paths. Also, a book that'll be out later this month is "The Four Powers" by Nicholas Graham; it's basically a practical introduction to a number of magical paradigms--neopagan, ceremonial, Afro-Caribbean, etc.-- as well as the different models of magic--psychological, energetic, etc. Another good book, if you're going to get involved with a group, even a discussion group, is "Gathering the Magic: Creating 21st Century Esoteric Grous" by Nick Farrell. It's an excellent look at group dynamics specifically tailored to the pagan and magical communities.

As for other book recommendations, I have a book review blog at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com Be sure to check out the links to other reviewers, too, partway down the page on the left sidebar. And once you see a book that interests you, check the reviews on Amazon.com, too.

Take your time with your research, and talk to other people. There's a lot of misinformation floating around; for example, if anyone ever offers to teach you about "Native American spirituality", ask them what tribe. If they continue to be vague, ignore them--each tribe has its own culture and religion, and a lot of people outside of those cultures try to rip them off. Most of the material you find in books on that subject is going to be "plastic shamanism"--books that steal abunch of material from a culture or two. mix it with some B.S., and then present it as genuine.

Okay, rant over :P

Good luck, and have fun :)

Answer 2

Everyone has already said witchvox.com so I won't say it again, but it is about the only place around that is any good for networking. Other ways you can go about searching for a community IRL is to find your local metaphysical book/giftstore...you can find them listed in the Yellow Pages sometimes under that heading. Some healthfood stores too, surprisingly enough. Look for things like Reiki classes being advertised, or other energy and spiritual healing work. You might also check witchvox to see if there are any festivals or gatherings going on in your area...some places will hold their local Pagan Pride events where you can meet people. You can find your nearest one at http://www.paganpride.org.

As for the internet, as someone said, any search engine could help you with that. Be careful though since, in my experience, it can be tough to find a good forum or such that isn't overloaded with fluff bunnies or generally people that you probaly wouldn't want to meet IRL.

For books, it depends on what you are interested in. For Wicca for instance I would recommend any books listed on this site: http://wicca.timerift.net. For Asatru/Heathenry, I would recommend Galina Krasskova's "Exploring the Northern Tradition" as well as the other sources I have listed on my page (link in my profile). For others...well, not sure since I don't know much about them.

Answer 3

http://www.witchvox.com for networking, or do a Google search for phrases like "Pagan forum" or "Wiccan forum" or "Druid forum", etc.

In real life, look at new age book stores if there are any near you, or the pagan section at Barnes & Noble or Borders to see if you meet anyone you can talk to. Be careful on approaching people that way, though.

Book recommendations -
"Pagan Spirituality" by Joyce and River Higginbotham
"The Spiral Dance" and "The Earth Path" by Starhawk

Good luck!

Answer 4

The best I've seen is at www.witchvox.com. You can run a search on your area and find people, groups, covens, etc on just about any path. It's pretty user-friendly too.

As for finding other Pagan peeps IRL.. that's tricky. We're rural around here and it's super hard to find them. But if you have an Occult/metaphysical shop near you, you can hang out there and just talk with other patrons. Check out YahooGroups too and see if there is a group in your area who holds open rituals that you can attend.

Best of luck to you, and if you happen to be in Northeastern PA, look me up *grin*

Answer 5

Here is a great site to begin with:
http://www.witchvox.com/

Also, if you want friends online, start a 360 page if you haven't, and start looking at other pagans' 360 pages. There are many of us out here. You can edit your Y!A Q&A page to show a link to your 360 page, and pagans seem to attract other pagans. Have fun.

Answer 6

go to www.meetup.com
type in yoru zipcode and then.....

type in witch, druid, pagan, pagan parenting...
until you get a big enough "hit" that you can see 5-10 showing up

Watch out for the power mongers (former Christian zealots who now throw pentacles and tiny hammers in your face).

Go to these for a few times (it happens 1-2 times a month... and whatever you do don't say a word... let them come out of the woodwork and just listen to them.


Anywhere you go, you run the risk of bumping into good people..... and you also run the risk of running into a complete 'Black Hole of Paganism' like we did........

Answer 7

Try www.witchvox.com im sure thats the site, they teach alot of things and have ideas about the communites. Sorry I cant be of anymore help, Im drawing a blank and Im not at home, so I dont have my fav. on this computer.

Answer 8

http://ecauldron.net/mb is a pagan forum. It would be a good place to look. Also witchvox.com would be a good place to look for local groups.

Answer 9

try witchvox.com and meetup.com
I met ALOT of folks on meetup.com