Pagan Charities

[ebonypearl]

In this recession, Pagans are uniquely placed to not suffer too badly.

OK, maybe the meta-pagans will see some fall-off in attendance and sales. Fewer people will be buying paper books and magazines. Since many Pagan magazines are already heavily vested in online as opposed to paper magazines, this means they are placed to possibly even increase their readership and contacts. Meta-Pagans with hefty appearance fees will find they are in less demand. Organizers of large meta-Pagan festivals will find attendance down. These will impact the socialization of Pagans on a meta level.

However, I think this will actually be good for Paganism. It will bring us to communicating in more meaningful ways. A lot of the playgans and fluffy bunnies will find less expensive occupations. Communities will become stronger because we will rely more upon one another. Those groups who already have close bonds will be brought closer.

As for the individual or solo practitioner, we will still continue with our research and practices. Our rituals and connections with the divine will be uninterrupted. We may rely more on real research and history and less on fabrication because we can't afford to support that which is irrelevant or false.

Overall, I think a recession will be good for Paganism.

The dross will burn off, and we will be stronger.

Or I could be totally wrong, and we'll be overrun with the fluff bunnies, flakes, and playgans because we have the internet - something we lacked in the economic downturn of the 70's. Back then, we had snail mail, pagans who traveled among us bringing news and information, and the telephone. We waited long times between contacts and spent much of it in reflection. We lack the time for reflecting and internalizing what we hear, and we lack the personal touch of those visits. Now, we have near instantaneous communication and all sorts of information, true or not, at our fingertips. While we still have the same amount of time and could use it in reflection and internalizing what we learn, we instead spend it sending rash emails, engaging in flamewars, and watching YouTube and Hulu.

Sad.

So, I hope for the more elevating aspects, and am expecting the lowest.

And that's how I see the recession affecting Pagans.

Comments

watching YouTube and Hulu

[nebris.livejournal.com]

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Reflection is the key- you nailed it right there. Today's 'I want it all, right now' world is not really a good ground to grow strong roots as a Pagan. I remember waiting for my monographs to come in- I got them every two weeks, and the waiting was agony, but I re-read the older ones while I waited for the newer ones.

And overseas, we met in person- no Internet yet, and phones and mail were tricky- especially after the Farwander ad went out. People started missing mail, or finding their mail opened. (You do not have a guarantee of privacy in the military.)

I've pretty much totally ditched most of the online Pagan communities- because of the very things you talk about- overweening egotistical trolls, flame wars, Insta-Elders (or kids claiming to be Lord Muckety-muck), and unstable people. Mind you- we had our share of unstable people in real life, but they were easier to deal with.