{"id":491,"date":"2010-10-14T21:23:04","date_gmt":"2010-10-15T02:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/"},"modified":"2019-02-13T19:11:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T00:11:30","slug":"before-you-start","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/beginning\/before-you-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Before you start"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Beginning<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pagans are all sorts of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pagans I know are librarians and engineers, counselors and researchers, tech geeks and artists, writers and teachers, staying at home with their kids or working in retail, working in state jobs and for large corporations, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like other religions, our ethics and personal commitments shape these choices – but people come to a wide range of answers that suit them. We also come in all shapes, colours, and genders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Pagans are in all sorts of places.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

You may not notice us. A lot of the Pagan community is hard to spot unless you\u2019re looking for it \u2013 we don\u2019t generally have churches you can drive by, or lots of big obvious public events. But we\u2019re around \u2013 even in the Bible belt, even in rural communities and small towns, and across much of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we do isn’t like on TV…<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

(or in Harry Potter, or in movies.) Those things may borrow some lore and ideas from Pagan practices – but they also need to tell a good story. Much of what we, as Pagans do, is a lot more matter of fact. We’re people who get up in the morning, who go to work, or take care of a home, or work on a passion or interest. We have families and friends and hobbies and other interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magic doesn’t come with fireworks:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A lot of what we call magic is actually a form of psychology and self-development<\/a>. Even when it isn’t, it’s a lot more about changing our immediate environment than it is sending up fireworks or doing anything flashy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many different Pagan paths.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Paganism is a broad term for a whole group of religions that don’t always have a whole lot in common with each other. (My “What is Paganism<\/a>” essay goes into this in a lot more detail.) What we do have are some common interests and common approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Pagans are glad to talk about what they do and believe – as long as people are thoughtful and respect the fact it’s a personal subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different Pagan paths work differently.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some Pagan paths are very structured. Others aren’t. Likewise, some paths have hundreds or thousands of members. Some may be limited to a single small group – or even an individual. The best way to know what an individual Pagan cares about or does is to ask that person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Pagans are very aware of other religions.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many of us were raised in other religious traditions. Some Pagan groups even require members to learn the basics of other religions to make sure that they wouldn’t rather be in one of those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pagans are human:<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

And like all humans, some of us have bad days. Some people will be great, amazing people who do wonderful things for the world around them. Some won’t. (And like all religions, we do have the occasional predator or abuser, and a share of people who claim skills and experience they don’t have.) In this site, you’ll find some ways to help you sort out whether someone knows what they’re talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last edited December 23, 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pagans are all sorts of people. The Pagans I know are librarians and engineers, counselors and researchers, tech geeks and artists, writers and teachers, staying at home with their kids or working in retail, working in state jobs and for large corporations, and pretty much everything else you can imagine.\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3310,"parent":2273,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-491","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P11EQH-7V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":499,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/beginning\/things-in-common\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":0},"title":"Things Pagans (Often) Have In Common","author":"jenett","date":"October 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"As I've said, Pagan paths don't always have a lot in common. Here are a few things that we do commonly share (though not every path or Pagan will agree with everything here.) No single Book Unlike Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Pagan religions are not religions of the Book, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"concepts\"","block_context":{"text":"concepts","link":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/tag\/concepts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-Pagan-things-in-common-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-Pagan-things-in-common-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-Pagan-things-in-common-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-Pagan-things-in-common-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2273,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/beginning\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":1},"title":"Beginning","author":"jenett","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you curious about Paganism? Not sure what different terms or concepts mean? Trying to figure out how to make sense of sites and descriptions that say different things about what Paganism is or isn't, or what witchcraft is or isn't? This page links to a number of articles on\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Beginning: leaf on a red background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-header.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/beginning-header.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2234,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/connecting\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":2},"title":"Connecting","author":"jenett","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The articles linked from this page focus on connecting with other Pagans (and specifically with other Pagans who do things you're interested in or want to learn more about.) The early sections are aimed at anyone who general community interaction (such as online, at public events, etc.) while the later\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"groups (joining)\"","block_context":{"text":"groups (joining)","link":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/tag\/groups-joining\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Connecting: heart made of hearts on a deep teal background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/connecting-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/connecting-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/connecting-header.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/connecting-header.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2192,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/archive\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":3},"title":"Archive","author":"jenett","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Pages listed here are outdated, but I've kept a copy for historical reference. Using Witchvox, a walkthrough Ways you learn best (revision in process) Think about whether online conversations are a good fit for you. Learning to ask smart questions\u00a0: a longer guide to asking better questions and helping people\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Icon - Archive - blue watercolor feather","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/archive-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":284,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/concepts\/deities\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":4},"title":"Deities","author":"jenett","date":"September 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One thing you'll find as you learn more about Paganism is that there are many different views on the nature of deity. That's true even for people working in the same group or path: two people standing beside each other in ritual might have quite different ideas! This page talks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"concepts\"","block_context":{"text":"concepts","link":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/tag\/concepts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-deities.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-deities.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-deities.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-deities.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2238,"url":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/concepts\/","url_meta":{"origin":491,"position":5},"title":"Concepts","author":"jenett","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This page talks about important concepts that come up a lot when talking about Paganism, religious witchcraft, and related topics. Common terms\u00a0: commonly used words when talking about Pagan religionsWhat is witchcraft? My personal take on it. Deities\u00a0: different ways Pagans look at and talk about deity.Ethics\u00a0: a brief look\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"concepts\"","block_context":{"text":"concepts","link":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/tag\/concepts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"concepts: key on a brown background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-header.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/concepts-header.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3384,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/491\/revisions\/3384"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleewood.org\/seeking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}