Dear all,
In my letter today, I want to address the topic of hope. In meeting many Pagan individuals from many walks of life, I have found that we all have dreams, goals, and visions of a future where the Pagan community can thrive together as a community. With that said, these aspirations are met with many challenges, among them is the feeling of hopelessness. Let me give an example.
A young woman sent me an email explaining a hardship in her life. She told me that her life was a struggle, riddled with abuse, anger, and hopelessness. She was raised by a single parent and faith was never mentioned. “I felt trapped,” she said, “and then I found Paganism. I found a new beginning. I didn’t know what exactly to call it at the time. Now I know. What I had truly found was hope.”
The woman continued her story of faith and her Pagan life. It was a wonderful and uplifting experience for her in the beginning. As the story went on she began explaining the difficulty of finding a community. Her faith was a personal path, but she wanted connections and a way to meet fellow Pagans. She began to feel that this was impossible. She went on to say:
“I went to several meetings of different Pagan sects and traditions. The people were great, open, and ready to answer any questions I had about their path, but when I spoke of my faith they were no longer interested. Beyond that, I was unable to connect on a spiritual level with the practices and teachings of many of the groups. I wasn’t comfortable. Due to this disconnect I started to get less and less invitations to social gatherings with the group, then altogether communication ended.”
After her failed attempts to find Pagan-connection she began to lose hope. The old feelings from childhood came back. She felt alone without a community.
Friends, our community strives for great and beautiful goals. We are a family of dreamers, a collective heartbeat pulsing throughout the world, called to bring security and longevity. Let us extend our arms, reaching for those whose hearts yearn for a family. Let us raise our hands to grasp the dreams we envision each day. Let us wrap our brothers and sisters with the warmth of acceptance. Find the hopeless, those who feel lost, bring them security. No one should feel hopeless, not with a family like ours. Today, let’s connect and build the bridge for the hopeless to cross into a community of the hopeful. The future is ours to shape.
Regards,
Sheldon Slinkard
President at Pentacles of Pride
02/28/2015
Pentacles of Pride Int. 