The Pagan Experience Archive has been created as a result of a need identified at the Wolverhampton pub moot. The moot had experienced an influx of new Pagans, those new to Paganism rather than new to the area. This was new to the moot especially in the numbers that had been turning up. This led to a problem, namely that of the regular moot attendees most were on a particular Pagan Path and lacked any current experience of the Paths that were attracting the new people. The problem boiled down to the following - namely help to support these people or they would simply cease to come along in the future. The next problem was how to accomplish this aim.
During discussions with the new Pagans one of their idetified needs was a knowledge base of information about the various paths that they were on. They were very aware that most of the practical knowledge is available in book form but there was very little in the way of experience written down. One of the main questions that was asked related to "..how do I know if I have done this right?" This was a very difficult question as Paganism is a very individualistic path and what is right for one person is not necessarily so for another. This is always a problem especially if there are only a limited amount of people to talk to with various experiences. The idea for the archive grew from this, to collect experiences from experienced Pagans and give these out to new Pagans.
This is not a new idea. Originally the idea for this sort of collection of experiences came from a Heathen group - the Tribe of Mercia and this has been adapted to other paths quite easily.
What is in the archive?
The archive consists of written testemonies of personal Pagan experience. These will be written in the first person i.e. "I cast a circle and ......" or "I was meditating...." as these are personal accounts.
Who may contribute to it?
We are encouraging all Pagans to contribute, all paths and levels of experience.
So I take it that you only want positive experiences?
No that would be one sided. The experiences are there for support this is especially true when things do not go as expected.
My experience involved others does that mean I cannot add it to the archive?
That depends on whether you have discussed it with them. It is very important that on sending us an experience it does not slander anyone. From this point of view it may be better to speak of an event as if it happened to you alone. The archive is aimed at individuals rather than groups.
What if I am unhappy with an entry?
This depends on whether it is an entry that you have written or an entry which includes you in the story. If the former let us have a reworded entry or give us instructions to remove it, this is no problem. If it is the latter then the piece will be scrutinised before being withdrawn. None of the entries will have names allowed in the text, however, it is possible that a situation will be singularly identifyable to some people. In this case if it is a unique event then the item will be removed. If on the other hand it is a common occurrance within Pagan workings, for example a Wiccan ritual with a circle being cast would need further commentary to establish it's uniqueness.
You mention that names will not be included in the text. Does this mean that I can submit an item anonymously?
No. All items must be accompanied by the submitters Name and home address, email included if applicable. These personal details will be kept separately with an index to which items that person has submitted for entry.
It seems an awfull lot of trouble. Why should I bother?
Can you remember when you were just beginning in Paganism? What was it like? Were you one of the lucky ones who found decent and honest people to help you and give you advice? There are lots of people out there who practice Paganism alone and when they first come into contact with other Pagans it can be quite daunting. Who can they trust? One of the benefits of this archive is that it is written by individual Pagans and so gives a broad range of experience and view points. Trust of a single individual is not required to benefit from the experiences of the Pagan Community.
How do I contribute?
Have a look at the entry below
I was out on a trip in some local scrub land with a few other people from a local Pagan Study group. The land was reclaimed and had at one time been used in the railways.
The idea of this trip was to get out into nature and experience the "earth" element in it's natural setting rather than the usual way of attuning to it in ritual. We walked around looking for likely spots to hold a meditation and finally came upon a spot next to a canal.
We sat down and began our meditation, inviting impressions of the place to come to us. At first I listened to the sounds around me blocking out the noise of the other people there and relaxed. Then suddenly a Stag's head was hanging in front of me. It's nose almost against my own. It's look was belligerent and there was nothing friendly about it. I got the impression that it was challenging me, why was I there? What did I want? My answer was that I wanted to know and show respect to the land. The Stag's demeanor then changed and seemed to bid me welcome to that place.
The account above starts with where the event happens. You will notice that although the area where the work happened it is not named. What was being done and why comes next to provide context for the account. Finally the experience itself. The experience need not take up volumes, it is better to keep them to the point and allow the reader to analyse the event for themselves.
The archive is available either on-line via email attachment, by post, paper copy or from the Wolverhampton pub moot. The archive may also become available through other moots if you are a moot organiser and would be interested in distributing the archive please contact me. Either way the cost of the archive is 50 pence per year plus other costs. These costs are:
Money raised through distribution of the archive will be put into the Wolverhampton moot funds (or the moot from where you obtain the archive).
Free updates (depending on other costs: see above) will be available every three to six months as required, this depends on how quickly the archive grows.
For further information please contact Jax.
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