Witches we can’t come together until WE LEARN TO COME TOGETHER

The world is once again a buzz with the prejudice talk being thrown around by the One Million Moms, and that’s all well and good, we know they are a hate group, and that instead of putting the energy and time into something good, like trying to stop bullying, or keeping the funding for public schools, they are writing letters to ABC complaining about Chaz, and Dancing With The Stars, first most of the children will never know that Chaz had a sex change operation unless the parents point it out. Wake up people the fact that Chaz had and operation is between him and his partner, not us! Besides I wonder if the real issue isn’t because some of these women have found themselves attracted to Chaz?
That is not the reason for my stirrings today, no the reason is US, you know the Witch World we are trying to live in.  Just like with the DC40 group of fruities, Pagan groups are starting to pop up. Okay that’s good, but what are the missions of these groups? Really let’s sit and think about it?  Most of the groups that popped up to thwart the DC40 people have fallen to the way side due to in fighting, and not really wanting to get involved. You have people on one side of the groups saying things like, “Oh they really aren’t anything to worry about,” others saying they are. These groups imploded because they could do nothing more than bicker and name call. Those that have remained have had a few pop up spats here and there. The moderators of these groups have been quick to put a stop to it, not by calling the people out by name, but by just stating that those kinds of games aren’t accepted. A couple of those who were guilty did the poor me song, and the ”I’m leaving the group” dance. These groups have succeeded because the groups were formed with a goal in mind, what that goal was and how they plan on going about achieving that goal.

So what about these new groups? What are their goals? And why do we join them? Is it because we feel the need to be around like-minded people? Or to just say hey I’m a Witch so I need to be in these groups.  I understand that there are not a lot of local groups out there for us solitaires, pick up your local newspaper, how many ads do you find in the religious section announcing a Witch get together? Ever seen a billboard spouting a bonfire get together for Pagans and their children? Any one held a local get together for the community at a state park?  How about Maryland’s Local Pagan group 666 getting together to raise money for a shelter or something? NOPE NEVER SEEN IT.   Hells I haven’t heard of any Witch shops collecting canned goods for the poor, or a toy drive for underprivileged children for Yule. What do we do as a community to give back to our country?
In one of these new groups I joined recently a member stated a family member was having problem with repeated break-ins, the local police said they would do nothing unless someone DIED.  All this woman wanted was a little help, a little advice.  Out of a group of over 200 people, bet you will be astounded to know how many stood up and were willing to help…2.   She had been doing the magical things on her own,  it‘s the mundane help she was looking for.  Only two from our community stood forward for her!  These people offered their help to her they told her to, call the local press, call the chief of the police department in that area, send letters to her reps, on the city council, etc,ect..    My point, only two witches stepped forward out of a couple hundred!!!  Ridiculous isn’t it?   The following is her post (made in Facebook) I am posting this with her permission.

Volante Varrato Carlson
I’ve got a question, is there anyone else in the New Hampshire area here?  We’re (my family) trying to get help, as my brother’s house has been broken into several times now while they’re sleeping, things stolen, his car broke into as well. He’s got 4 young children, and the local PD won’t do crap unless there’s a homicide! (straight from the cop) we’re trying to get the local news station to investigate, raise awareness.

To help our sister, stand up, stand forward and go to this news site http://www.nhpr.org/ and tell them no one should be afraid to sleep in their own homes. The police must DO THEIR JOBS!!! These people need help, the children are afraid to sleep in their beds; all of his children are under 6 years old!!

This is not what being a Witch all is about, just like being a member of a coven is not what being a Witch is all about.  Helping people is what we are about. Being a member of a coven is not necessary, as almost every solitary can tell you.  I’ve heard the happy-go-lucky stories about all the good things being in a coven can do for a person.  The like-minded people, the learning, the stronger spell casting etc… (careful with that because sometimes “a teacher can teach the Witch right out of you”).  I have also heard the HORROR stories about being in a Coven.  Power corrupts, but sometimes we want so badly to be a part of something that we put aside our common sense when things don’t feel right and just go with the flow.  Or we have read in a book somewhere that the only true way to practice witchcraft is to be initiated into a coven.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word coven was originally a late medieval Scots word meaning a gathering of any kind.  Then there was a woman accused of witchcraft in 1662 Isobel Gowdie confessed that in her experience witches met in covens consisting of thirteen members.  Still the term didn’t catch on, until Gardiner started using it that it became popular. What other options do we as solitaries have?   Right, we join online groups.  You know we could do more than that.  We could take ourselves from online to in real life.
I know not everyone is keen with bringing strangers into their homes, especially where young children are concerned.  We do have state parks, some are free others cost a couple of dollars to get in, why not hold a Witchy potluck.  That is how some of these other groups got started.  They sat and talked, tossed around idea’s then went for it.  I know even getting a bunch of solitaries together can at times be a power trip for some. Still if we are to succeed we need to join together.
Come on we can’t even have a decent coming out day.  Let’s see I believe there was one on May 2nd of this year.  Oh, I see raised eyebrows here, really a coming out day?  I didn’t know that. Yes there was and a few, as in maybe 20 showed up. Nope I didn’t attend, why? Because, I didn’t know about it until after the fact. The day after people were blogging about it, and how not everyone can come out of the broom closet.
Don’t sit back and complain when you don’t like the way things are going.  Look you want to know why we can’t get together as a group.  It’s because of US; we are not willing to sacrifice anything, hells I have been out of the Broom Closet, almost as long as I’ve been out of the queer closet.  Let me tell you the abuse you get for being a Witch, is nothing compared to what you get for being openly gay.  People steer clear of you when they know you’re a witch, they may make smartass remarks, but for the most part they don’t want to be anywhere near you, and think about it, that’s okay because you don’t want to be around those type of people anyway.  They don’t jump you and try to beat you, or run you down with their cars, shoot you, or hang you from a tree because of the craft.
“But they will try and take my kids away, I can lose my job.”  Umm, do you know how many of the LGBT’s people went through just that? So the rest of us could have rights?
The LGBT has parades, national coming out days, they have rights, and what do we have? Our head in our cauldrons hiding in our broom closets, the new presidential contenders are not just coming after Pagans, but they are pushing a very discriminating agenda against ALL religions except their own, as well most minorities, and the LGBT community.
How much would things have been different would our country be if our founding fathers, or Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, or the women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, Lucy Stone, Helen Pitts, Matilda Joslyn Gage, had not fought and some sacrificed themselves for equality.  Our Pagan soldiers have Roberta Stewart and the Circle Sanctuary to thank for their start on the tombstones.  And let’s not forget the achievements that have been made thanks to people like Star Hawk, and Laurie Cabot.  These people put themselves out there not just to sell books but to make our presence known, they fought for our rights. The ones we are letting slip by the wayside.

Witches we can’t come together until WE LEARN TO COME TOGETHER.

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/contemporaryissues/a/VPQUpdates.htm
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/sp/10_baby_steps_out_of_the_broom_closet.html
http://www.paganfed.org/intro.shtml