..... (This is how we explained the proposed group, back in 2001)
This page is under construction, right now. While we're away, you can read about what our group is about, or where that odd name came from. A few rules, though. This is a younger Pagans group. Nobody born before 1960. We're tired of the elders, and are trying to get away from them. No politics. No backstabbing. No flaky talk about who's psychically attacking whom. No telling people to not listen to other people just because they don't agree with you, or won't support your friend's latest bid for power. Nobody who thinks the elders should rule and the rest of us should obey them. Nobody who thinks that one of us isn't entitled to the same rights as somebody else, just because of who was oppressing whom, a hundred years ago.
No more (expletitive deleted) feminist/P.C. "interventions". No more expecting somebody to be silent, just because somebody else is "offended" (ie. has thrown a temper tantrum). No more groupthink, or "going along to get along" or pretending to be an "independent thinker", who just never seems to manage to ever disagree with his "friends" on anything they feel strongly about.
Real friends will agree to disagree, on matters where reasonable men may differ. How we long has it been since we've seen many of those?
No talking about other groups, unless you want to invite one of us to a party there. No future, no past. Nothing serious, except for the respect we show each other, as long as we make the effort to deserve it. Capiche? Cool. Come on in.
(NOTE : Given the recent unpleasant strangeness on the local Wiccan lists, we can not welcome Wiccan applicants, until more of them show that they are willing to play nice with the other children, even the ones who aren't Wiccan).
What this is about:
When many of us first encounter the Pagan community, it is, in some ways, like the first time we visit a major city or the day we reach adulthood. There is a feeling of wild freedom and infinite possibility. It soon passes. Not because it should, but because like so much of society, we've given up our freedom in order to appease the craziest or most obnoxious individuals around us.
With this in mind, I decided to start a very loose and open Pagan social group, called "The International Brotherhood of Warlocks and Trolls". The name is a reference to one of the silliest Usenet flamewars that I ever found myself in, over whether or not it would be OK for someone to call himself a "warlock". It summed up so much of what the 90s were about - all sound and fury, signifying nothing, and not a bit of fun or intelligent conversation along the way.
I'd like to get away from that and get back to a little of what we've lost. If you'd like to join in, here's what you do.
- Let's make sure that we're headed the same place. There are a few basic points of ethical common ground we need to start from, if we're to avoid a restart of the Witch Wars. If you can accept these terms (*), go on to step two.
- Come visit me, and let's talk.
- Give me an e-mail address or a phone number, and I'll call to give you the times and locations of meetings, if this thing should get going. If someone proves to be a problem, I'll just stop telling him where the meetings are.
Naturally, you'll be oathbound to not pass this information along to those who have been excluded, as long as they remain excluded.
- Be sure to come, and bring your ideas with you.
The primary event for this group (still forming) will be something called "Early Morning Pagans", which will be a bit more convenient than some of the coffeehouse events for those who rise early and really don't want to stay up until 4 am. It tentatively would be taking place early Saturday morning, in the Gold Coast/Streeterville neighborhood.
If you're interested, sign up for Trollheim, our mailing list. (We also maintain a secondary list, Trollheim Central, over at Yahoogroups.
Click here to return.
(*) Note : the code referred to, was a much simplifed version of the Universal Base Code of Morality.