Spirit

I recently (September 2007) attended a public Mabon celebration. And was sorely disappointed. Many of the people walking around looked like they were trying to out-do each other with wearing black clothing and tons of make-up and Gothic jewelry. I thought I'd walked into the Hero Zone on a Friday night! Cigarette butts were carelessly thrown onto the ground and left there. They had used what looked like spray paint to mark the vendors' areas. The "fire-spinner" was using jet fuel and fireworks (I had to leave the area at one point because of all the sulfuric smelling smoke).

Within the first sentence of the "ritual" I was angry and I'm glad I stayed on the outside of the circle instead of participating. The man actually commanded the elements to be present! "I command thee!" Since when do we "command" the elements?! I've always learned that we ask them to be present and we show them respect... as we would our elders. The ending song (for the ritual) was about how "you" suppress the witches of the world and how "we" are back from the dead. "We" are stronger than before and "you" can't keep us down any longer. Who are these people? I do not consider myself in the category of "you" or "we" so who are they talking about? It felt very much like some fire & brimstone service that is meant to fire people up to go out to battle.

There was very little said about the sacred day itself. There wasn't much said about the ever-changing seasons and the beauty of the Spirit. Why wasn't something done to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for the bounty this Earth provides for us? Why wasn't something said about the upcoming Winter and the hopes that we come through it without too much hardship?

I'd rather stay home and stay solitary than be part of a group that promotes hatred toward another group. This world has enough ugliness in it. Pagans and Witches should be making it a point to promote peace. Yes, I know that all groups should be doing that. It is in their teachings but all people should live in harmony as well.

I won't be going back next year. Yes, I'll still try to attend festivals and meet other Pagans, but I doubt I will ever try to become part of an organized group.