On the foolishness of pride...

[Pateticus]

I think we can all agree that Witch Wars are a foolish and foolhearty waste of anyone's time and energy. Even in discussing it so openly I feel that I am bringing myself to a level that is close to primate. The very fact that people continue to allow their religious beliefs to draw lines in the sand is infuriating to me. In my opinion, it is events that took place eons ago by generations of people that were nothing like us that are still keeping people divided and it is nothing short of idiotic to allow a grudge to carry this long.

Things have been said to me in the past few weeks, through people that I consider good and loyal friends, that I feel require my address. Please consider that any venom you may sense in this post is not directed at anyone in particular but is simply a matter of having to lower myself to confront the madness, prejudice and apathy that I see around me.

I do not like dealing with this kind of thing. Wars are for cavemen. And if we, as humans, are as intelligent and evolved as we claim to be then we shouldn't be as stupid as to allow old hatchets to destroy new temples.

When I first started this crusade, around the last presidential election, I commented on how a change in the leadership of any system results in mass changes on the levels below. George W. Bush, upon taking office, is planning to privatize many of the lower levels of government and this is going to create a significant amount of transitory chaos. The people in the lowest levels of government are the ones that interact with you--the tax payer and the voter--which means that the gateway into their system is now in a state of flux.

They'll be running to catch up with the people above them so they can re-organize, and it is during this time that it is best that we gather and organize ourselves as oppressed minorities and pissed off Americans. This is the best time to lobby for political changes such as legalization of cannabis, the recognition of pagan holidays, and the organization of non-profits around various community-level charities such as day care centers, homeless shelters and food banks.

The system is made up of humans and humans have their weaknesses just like everyone else. They can't be everywhere at once and they can't plan for every contingiency. While the system is in flux there will be places that we, as individuals and minorities; will be lost, invisible and therefore able to slip our own issues through the bureaucracy by tacking them on to larger issues that take up the rest of their time.

My requests for timely action were ignored largly because people were not familiar enough with me to trust my leadership. I'm also told that people have been put off by my wordiness and by my involvement in certain politics--which is fine. There will be another presidential election in another 4 years and perhaps then, the kind of timely guidance that I provide will be considered worthwhile.

With the death of the Pope this weekend, however, we are in the midst of another burst of transitory chaos. And this one needs to be taken advantage of soon. Because Papal terms last upwards of 30 years, and we're not going to have another chance to take advantage of this.

A new Pope will be elected in 9 days. After that selection is made, coalitions will start to form as Catholics around the world adjust to their new leadership. There is already talk of divisions around conservative issues such as gay marriage, the indoctrination of women and birth control. Over the past few years, we have also seen large numbers of Catholics convert to Paganism out of the need for new spiritual guidance.

The Pagan Faith is growing and it is because of the intolerance and ignorance that is currently being displayed by the Catholic Church. If other faiths want their populations to grow, then it would be wise to consider taking advantage of opportunities to engage in inter-faith relationships.

And that is what I see as being the biggest hurdle for modern Paganism.

Catholics don't have the problems that Pagans do out of sheer population. You could put a Holy Cross onto a Dung Heap and you'd have hundreds of local Catholics show up to either protest it or support it--because their population is so big that even issues that would divide them result in large gatherings of common faith.

But Pagans are too diverse, Pagans are too proud, Pagans are too solitary. They're too proud as solitaries to remain united when they get together as a group for any extended period of time--at the slightest hint of difficulty, it seems, they're finding a new group to start and a new place to go. They're too proud as Pagans to consider opening discussion with any local churches and they're too divided by individual theology to even consider getting together as a common faith around common goals.

This division only serves to make new Pagans view the Pagan Community as a group of disorganized individuals that have yet to let go of their own troubled past.

What's more, at most of the Pagan rituals that I've attended, I've had to fend off ignorant and intolerant remarks about Catholicism that only serve to deter Catholics from being more involved. By holding on so relentlessly to the hate that the Catholic Church has shown you in the past, you're only serving to send away potential believers and preventing your own community from growing.

You're shooting yourself in the foot.

Regardless of how often I say that other people's theologies and beliefs don't matter to me--that I simply want anyone of any faith to show up at the events that I plan so that we can share and communicate more effectively--I'm told that people continue to stay away from my events because they don't share my beliefs or my opinions. And this is foolish.

I have come to the conclusion that in order to get more discussions going between different Religious and Political Parties that we are first going to have to find Neutral Ground. This is why I began to focus on bars, coffee houses, concert halls, movie theatres and bowling allies. Especially the Cuyahoga River Valley, which has a rich and spiritual tradition of being neutral territory for all the natives that used to live here.

Spiritually and Shamanisticly, I feel that the valley can be a place to promote communication, education and change. But like all natural forces, it is a neutral force, which means that it can only be employed by those that choose to employ it. Until then, it remains dormant, neglected and potentially abused. I'm told it costs about $100 to rent a tent and reserve different parts of the valley for events. But in lieu of venues that cost money to acquire, I'm content with using free venues until people see fit to be involved enough to donate.

Regardless, however, these locations allow us to focus on something other than our theology--such as drum circles, drinking, movies, music and art. These then become the common threads (sacraments) that can bring us together as people in order to get over our differences long enough to organize. And this is why I chose Arcadian Mythology as a model for this organization--since it is largely based on regular use of the creative arts combined with the sharing of recreational substances in order to promote community growth--regardless of anyone's opinion, spiritual belief or social status. This is something that I feel, in my limited (albeit naive) experience would best create a Neutral Atmosphere. If you have a better suggestion, please let me know.

Over the course of the last year I've done what I could to secure such locations by filing for the Trade Name 'Arcadian Fields' just so that we can have access to the place and use it however we wish. I know of no other way to secure a place without putting my name on it, if you have a better way please let me know. But if putting my name on it is what is keeping you away....there's really not much I can do.

If you want to see some solidarity in your community you have to make the choice to do so. No amount of name calling and arm twisting is going to do that for you.

In the face of Papal and Political transitions the time is ripe for change. Pushing for such changes starts with organizing ourselves and getting over our differences. If you do not sieze upon these opportunities in a timely fashion, you're making a very basic and fundamental error of strategy.

That said, I have a myriad of opportunities planned and everyone is welcome to attend. All I ask of any human is to be intelligent enough to not allow generations-old differences to continue dividing them. And if you're willing to have a good time while you're there, you're a step ahead of everyone else.

I moderate 3 Meetup Groups, each can be found linked from my website at: http://members.cox.net/pateticus/contact.html

Weekly gatherings are being planned as follows:

Unless otherwise stated, all events are taking place in Cleveland Ohio.

Saturday drum circles on the deck of the Women's Club Pavilion in Lakewood Park.

If the photography meetup can get more organized, I'd like to start meeting weekly sometime during the day so that we can take regular shutterbug hikes through Cleveland. I'm starting off with the hopes of meeting other shutterbugs at the saturday drum circles or waiting for them to contact me via Email before we start planning.

On Fridays, in Berea, we have plans to coordinate with a local Methodist Church. They will be bringing groups of special needs children into their outreach center for us to drum with. This is an awesome opportunity to use drum circle in a way that is creative, therapeutic and educational and if you want to be more involved please drop me a line.

Monthly gatherings:

If the weekly drum circle works out, I'm planning to organize full moon drumming in the valley. For more information, please come to the weekly circle or drop me an Email.

Arcadian Fields tries to plan a fundraiser at least once a month so we can have the fees necessary to rent venues (like the tents we have to rent from the Metropark people in order to use the valley).

The April fundraiser will take place on the 20th at the Padded Jungle in Akron. Seven of our bands will be hitting the stage starting at 6pm. The cover charge is $5.

On April 15th, Rev. Toby Nixon of the Church of Pagan Power, is also organizing a Heathen's Day Off to take place at the IX Center. Admission to that is $18.

Coming soon, as well, we will be hosting a LAN Party at Cyber City in Lakewood. If you've never been to a LAN Party before: there are 12 Networked computers that can be used for everything from surfing to interactive gaming. I have a musician already scheduled to play for us, the owner is willing to lock the doors and give us the place for the night if we can raise $100.

The resources are available, we simply have to gather long enough to take advantage of them. I've done all the legwork I can, and now it's up to you and I don't ask for much more than people's willingness to have a good time.

For more information please check my website: http://members.cox.net/pateticus/

or drop me a line: pateticus@cox.net

Take care,


Phil
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Here's to burning one down with god.
Don't forget to look behind you every once in awhile
and always exhale with a grin.


http://members.cox.net/pateticus/

[zero]

first of all, I think you may be bieng a bit rough on the pagans. Most pagan religions are meant to be practiced in solitary. The idea that any of us leave groups when the going gets rough is a bit much, dont you think? My own personal santeria religous beliefs aside, Im here with my brothers at the thcministry come hell or high water. Im sure i speak for every pagan here when i say that.

And secondly, the next pope could only hope to be half the man john II was.
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"I understand that fear is my friend, but not always. Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed."

[PrayerWarrior]

Too true Brother Zero.
We must be unified as a group within THC ministries and we must all respect the beliefs and affiliations of our individual members.
I think the best part of our "church" is its acceptance of all who wish to be a member of it regardless of the God they worship or not.
Our greatest challange as community is to provide an environment for each of our members to feel at home and not threatened by others trying to convert them to any specific belief system. I think the diversity of our forums is a great way for our members of differing faiths to have their own area to futher express their individual religious discussions.
Peace to all.
Rev. Brett
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Rev. Brett M. Schuler (PrayerWarrior)