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Post by James Grimswolf on Oct 26, 2013 13:15:46 GMT -8
So... I have a potentially wild and crazy idea to run by everyone here and get feedback on how far off base I may be.
I'm a little stuck out in CT without much contact with others of similar ideas, so I had been thinking lately of posting up a notice at the local library that I was interested in arranging a meeting for Norse Polytheists in the meeting room at the library basement. It hit me just now though, why not instead of just "hey anyone else interested in Norse Gods?", try and put out there for a Polytheism Without Borders local group?
Theory would be to put up a notice, explaining what Polytheism Without Borders is based on the mission statement, and see what sort of response I get. First I'd like to know how people here feel about that though, especially the creators of PWB. Is it appropriate for me to attempt something like this? And if I do, what should I be keeping in mind so that I'm properly representing the ideas of PWB?
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Post by Admin on Oct 28, 2013 9:06:52 GMT -8
We're ALL the creators of PWB -- each of us can run with the basic premise create community, connect with people, and share information in whatever way makes sense. I personally love the idea of a bunch of PWB meetups around the country and it's not like any one person or small group can own or create that.
That said, from my point of view, the very core features of Polytheism Without Borders include:
1. "Hard" Polytheists -- members interact with the Gods as individual extant beings. They may interact in other ways too, but that's out of the scope of the group. For example, I see that Deities can be archetypes, that's just not ALL They are and it's my work with Them as individual beings that's relevant here. This isn't to exclude so much as to refine -- to focus on practice and avoid wasting debate on the relative merits of other ways (which is pointless and time wasting as well as, frankly, insulting to those of different perspectives).
2. Practicing Polytheists -- members DO stuff, not just read or study. This is important because we're practicing a living faith. We're not just amateur anthropologists or religious studies hobbyists. We also accept all kinds of polytheists because we have more commonalities than differences.
3. No Drama -- the worst thing that can happen to any group, on or off line is that it becomes subsumed in drama and in-fighting.
If you actually have a meetup, please let us all know how it went!
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Post by James Grimswolf on Nov 16, 2013 12:45:24 GMT -8
Sorry it's took me so long to get back to this. Life has been... nuts, but I really need to get back to PWB in general.
I'll have to ponder over the thought of what it means to be a creator of PWB... I have a lot of really, really ambitious ideas in my head, most stemming from a desire for a more extent community, but not sure how well they'd be received. For now (and now that I have an apartment of my own) I'll definitely be trying to get some sort of word out calling for interest in my local town. Post stuff up on the board at the library and the local grocery store, maybe even write an article for the local community newspaper.
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Post by MadGastronomer on Nov 17, 2013 0:01:01 GMT -8
Advice: Start very, very small. Just go for a meetup. If you get enough people (say, 3-5 minimum), then maybe start a discussion group. If you aim high now, and you don't get a lot of response, then you'll be really disappointed and are more likely to stop and give up.
Also, don't just put up a notice at the library. That's going to have a fairly limited readership. Get the word out more than that.
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Post by James Grimswolf on Nov 17, 2013 16:09:43 GMT -8
That's the plan for now, along with I'm thinking of putting notices in the local free newspapers, craigslist and... WitchVox actually. I'm not sure of any other good places for getting a general word out.
The mention about ambitions is less about this meetup, and more the sort of things I'd like to see in the looooong haul future. I'd love to see something like a polytheist church built one day, and a level of organization that can do such things as sponsor schools, hospitals and other efforts. That's a really long way off though.
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