Is there a tight-knit pagan community I'm not aware of?

Question

On the night of the Harry Potter release I wore my pentagram, because I figured that would be one night I could wear it without anybody thinking it is odd. Another group of people there (for the release) greeted me as family because they were wearing pentagrams too.

I have never encountered this before, but then again I don't know many pagans IRL. So is there a community I'm not aware of?

IRL= in real life

By the way Bob, I am pagan. I have no problem with who I am, and I know the difference between good and evil. You don't need to pray for me, but it was a nice thought.

Madpol: Thanks, I wasn't sure of the difference.

Raji: lol @ KFW. It makes me sound like KFC,

Answer 1

Pagans tend to be very welcoming and warm when meeting others of like minded belief. Most likely due to the fact that we are such a minority and it's always nice to meet a friendly face. The pagans I've met (and they number in the hundreds) have all greeted me in like fashion because of something I was wearing (jewelry, t-shirt, etc).
I can't say we're all tight-knit.. I can say we're a family.
I'm so glad you got to meet some others in your area :)

Answer 2

Ah, sugar, if you're wearing it, it's a Pentacle. It's only a pentagram when you draw it.

Close knit is too strong a term. Pagans tend to be fiercely independent. There are some pretty tight groups and regular circles, but nothing like a unified community.

You probably know more pagans than you think. Not everybody is flashy about it, but we do have ways of recognizing each other and wearing a pentacle will get you the benefit of the doubt--it shows that you are at least tolerant.

You can usually contact a couple of pagan groups in your area through your local Unitarian Church.

Answer 3

Generally a lot of us pagans and wiccans enjoy reading the HP series, so I am not surprised that you saw some at the release. The fact that they greeted you warmly doesn't surprise me at all. Around here we have a Pagan Pride day once a year and it is a very lighthearted gathering where everyone is basically treated as extended family. I don't think I would call it a tight-knit community but instead that we tend to get along quite well when we encounter each other in a social event. You might want to check out social calenders at your favorite local metaphysical or at least pagan friendly shop and see if there are any of these events in your area.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 4

It really depends on where you live... in my neck of the woods, there are hardly any Pagans. It is a highly conservative town, and many would just "burst at the seams" if they knew I am Pagan, lol. In larger cities, there are sub-cultures of Pagan communities, and there will also be covens and gatherings available where you can meet others of like mind. Someone above recommended checking the witch's voice, (at witchvox.com), and that is a great place to try to find local groups of Pagans in your area. You might also try contacting local metaphysical shops in your area, to inquire if they can point you in the direction of where others "like you" might "hang out"... or just hang out in the store and you'll see some of those Pagans walk in eventually. ;) If you have a Barnes and Noble, or a Borders in your area, that is another "casual" way to meet other Pagans, they like to cluster around the alternative/metaphysical sections of the bookstores. ;) I have met quite a few people in the nearest Barnes and Noble, which is an hour and a half away from where I live.

But as far as "globally", yes, there is a "tight-knit" Pagan community, in the sense that like what you experienced, you can go anywhere in the world, and if you encounter other Pagans who see the pentagram you have on, they will "know" what that means, and they will greet you. ;) But as with all social encounters... be cautious, be careful, be safe. Just because you know someone is Pagan does not automatically make them "safe" people. ;)

Answer 5

Believe it or not there are actually a lot more of us out there than most people think. The pagan community, especially in certain urban areas, is very large, and made up of various soliary practicioners, covens, and groups. I know Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania have very large pagan communities in these areas. Most of the solitaries and groups are seperate, but occasionally come together for festivals and the such. You can find out more about other pagans and groups using
www.witchvox.com

The Pagan Unity Campaign is another good organization who sponsors various events to bring pagans together in the United States. I don't have the website handy, but you can easily find it using Yahoo Search. On yahoo via chat etc, and in real life I know many pagans.

I am one of the most open and out of the closet pagans who I know. I do a lot of work regarding pagan rights, and working with pagan events, plus I run a Wiccan coven/church here in Pa.

Answer 6

KFW, it's not that there's a hidden community, it's more like Pagans and Witches For the most part tend to be solitaries. So, when a large group of like-minded individuals gathers at a public spot they tend to be VERY welcoming and seem to form a community of sorts for that particular event. A lot of them may even form friendships from such "chance meetings". I think because it stems from the fact that we do NOT have any genuine places of public worship, hence it makes it difficult for us to actually form a coherent community. One of the down sides to being Pagans/Witches.

I also tend to notice this phenomenon happening at New Age shops and bookstores where Pagan/Witchcraft books are sold. I have met MANY like-minded Witches at bookstores in the New Age section, as well as a number at the local New Age shop.

Brightest Blessings,
Raji the Green Witch

Answer 7

I like to compliment people on pagan-flavored jewelry and tattoos, partly for their artistry, but partly for recognition. Pagans tend to be cool about such things.

I tend to term the pagan community as a broad group of religions and practices ranging from Wicca to Asatru to neoshamans and plenty of others (though some would term that a scene instead of a community). There are smaller local communities, as well as the community involving people in the same circle, grove or other group.

I would do as others have suggested and check out the Witches of the World section of http://www.witchvox.com (located in the upper left hand corner of the main page). You can also do a search for the closest city and the word "pagan" (or similar terms) at http://groups.yahoo.com and http://www.meetup.com . Additionally, some local pagan communities have city-specific pagan pages, so use the same search terms in Google. I've also had good luck with meeting folks through http://www.livejournal.com which has a lot of good online discussion communities as well as plenty of individual pagans.

Answer 8

I don't know that it's tight knit... so to speak. We don't all hang out together all the time and we frequently forget each others names and we can sure bicker.

But the Pagan community in my area are all pretty friendly with one another in general. If I'm wearing a T-shirt that proclaims that I'm Pagan (I don't wear jewelry aside from my ring) other Pagans come up to me pretty frequently and introduce themselves and we end up hugging. When I had a family crisis recently, my house was full of Pagans and others were home lighting candles.

Answer 9

Yes and no.

A number of Pagans will act friendly to obvious Pagans whom they don't know simply because we're still relatively few and far between. And a lot of places do have small Pagan communities that can be pretty tight-knit.

That said, there's also plenty of local communities where folks won't talk to each other, and act snarky towards certain other Pagans. ::shrugs:: People being people, and all that.

My guess is that they were likely just being polite & friendly.

Answer 10

If you mean a single Pagan community, no. There are many Pagan communities around the world. There are events, like Pagan Pride day that allow a lot of the smaller groups to get together in their local area, there are also larger events like Pantheacon which attracts thousands of Pagans and friends of Pagans.

Pagans,at least the ones I have met love to know they are not alone in their area. It's nice to know you are not alone.