Rooted in Community: A Day at the Maine Pagan Leadership Conference

Over the weekend, I attended my first-ever event held by the Maine Pagan Clergy Association. I’ve been following them on Facebook for a while with the hopes of getting involved if I ever had the time and energy. Well, back in March, I decided to reach out with a presentation idea — and to my surprise, it was accepted! I think I was surprised for two reasons; one is that I have imposter syndrome when it comes to situations like this, and two is that I felt kind of odd because my first interaction with this community was as a presenter rather than a member.

Anyway, my presentation pitch was about building safe and accessible online community spaces; this is something I’m very familiar with! Since my entire magical community interaction has generally been online, and I’m a community leader and manager at Spells8, the online world has kind of become my home. Knowing how to make (and keep!) my “home space” safe and accessible has become important to me. I felt like this gave me a unique perspective to share, especially in a state that has members spread out in rural and remote places who may not have easy access to an in-person community.

Nervous? Me? Of course!

After my proposal was accepted, I had no clue what to do. I had so many questions! Do I put together a slideshow? A video? Just talk with my notes? How big was this conference going to be? Who will be there? What if I do a horrible job — or worse: What if no one cared? Looking back, that last one makes me laugh. If no one cared, I wouldn’t have been accepted as a presenter!

Anyway, I spent a lot of time putting my presentation together and getting it just right — well, as right as I could, of course! I covered all my bases, important topics like alt-text and subtitles, etc. But you’re probably not hear to listen to me whine about my nerves and how, despite having a podcast and being a YouTuber, public speaking makes me extremely nervous!

There were three other presenters besides me, covering topics that are equally as important to pagan community leaders as mine is. The conversations brought forth from these presentations were enlightening, challenging, and affirming all at the same time. I met some new people, made some friends, and had a wonderful time — and if you’re reading this, thank you all for being amazing!

If you’re interested in seeing my presentation, I have the slideshow here on my website for you to view. I may turn it into a video in the future if anyone is interested. You just have to let me know!

Click here to view my slideshow!

A Comfortable Conference Space

Since I wasn’t sure what to expect, my mind kept filling in the gaps of how things would go. Let me tell you…my mind? It’s ridiculous sometimes! Rather than standing at a podium speaking to an audience, we all gathered in one of the side rooms of the UU Church where the conference was held. Rows of seats? Nope!

Instead, we all gathered in a circle with an altar at the northern side. This was much more comfortable for me, and it shows that, although this was a conference, the group was close-knit and friendly. There were enough of us to fill a circle space, but not enough of us that we needed to sit at tables or in rows of chairs. It was an affirming space and experience, and one where I felt welcome as soon as I walked through the door!

The Presentations Were Thought-Provoking

I obviously can’t do every presentation justice, but each one gave me something new to think about. There were new perspectives gained, thoughts and opinions challenged, and growth definitely happened!

Latent Christianity in Paganism: Conflicting Theological Concepts

Kevin was the presenter who went after me. He presented with two others — I’m not sure if they want to be mentioned by name since they’re not on the graphic, so I’ll leave their names out until I know for sure. Their presentation was a discussion panel on how latent Christianity might show up in a Pagan space, and what a Pagan clergy member or leader might be able to do about it.

There were a lot of interesting answers to these questions, and I took a lot of notes! His presentation affirmed my own thoughts about some of the questions, such as the Christian tendency to take myths literally rather than as symbolic stories. It also reminded me a lot of one of my favorite passages in the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer*. If I remember right, it’s actually in the first few chapters of the book. In it, she compares the creation stories of her people (the Potawatomi Nation) to the creation story from Christianity.

On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished from the garden and the gates clanged shut behind her. That mother of men was made to wander in the wilderness and earn her bread by the sweat of her brow, not by filling her mouth with the sweet juicy fruits that bend the branches low. In order to eat, she was instructed to subdue the wilderness into which she was cast.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The stories we grow up with shape us, and as a society that’s heavily steeped in Christian theology, sometimes we can’t help what we learn. However, it’s up to us to unlearn that as we move through life. If we are to truly embrace a Pagan way of life, whatever that means for you, it also means unpacking the Christian dogma and worldview that were instilled in you.

Some of Kevin’s suggestions for dealing with latent Christianity in Pagan spaces include being considerate with our words, understanding the use of symbolism, crafting ritual that supports the Pagan worldview, and dedication to our path — including learning to speak about it. I have to say that I fully agree with these points and suggestions. When someone comes to Paganism from a monotheistic faith, it can be hard to switch their brain to using different words, or to understand that a word they used before, such as prayer, doesn’t only apply to their monotheistic belief system.

One other speaker during this panel said something that I really liked about the difference between Paganism and monotheism: Paganism is living and breathing, but monotheism is stasis. This doesn’t mean that monotheistic belief doesn’t allow for personal growth, but rather shows the difference between the flow of Paganism versus the structure and rules of a monotheistic faith such as Christianity.

Overall, it was a wonderful discussion that had me nodding my head right along with everyone else.

Towards a Paganism Rooted in Place

Now, if I’m being completely honest, I think Mark’s presentation is the one I was looking forward to the most. As someone who has moved around a lot in my adult life, finding myself rooted in place has been hard. That’s why one of my goals this year has been to learn more about Maine’s history, the Land I live on, and the flora and fauna around me. Mark’s presentation was right up my alley, and it was more than I expected.

Mark’s approach to this topic was interesting because it wasn’t about building Pagan community. Instead, it was about being Pagan in community. Those might sound similar, but they are very different! He described the traditional worldview as one that goes from top-down: Cosmos, Community, Self. On the other side, the modern worldview flips that upside down. Modernity puts the Self first, then community, and finally Cosmos. In both of these cases, community doesn’t mean a group of people with a common interest. Instead, it is based on geographical rootedness — your physical community, neighbors, town, etc.

In a traditional worldview, individualism is a detriment to the community because it puts the needs of one person above the needs of the whole. I’ve been saying this for years — there is nothing “United” about our country. The general population seems to only think about themselves, and most people don’t even try to know their neighbors. Now, of course, this is all contextual, and I know there are people out there who do care and who do reach out to their neighbors. It’s few and far between, though, and you can’t build a community if you don’t even know your neighbors!

It was interesting to hear someone talk about just existing as a Pagan in the community. Be who you are, hold Pagan events, and invite everyone to come if you’re able. Open events might leave the door open for hecklers or negative people, but they also open the door to people who just want to learn, or people who are open-minded and seeking community, just like you. This is what I want for myself. This is the kind of community I’m looking for, and since no one is doing it, I just might have to start it myself!

The Trials of Community

Chuck’s presentation was a ritual and lecture all in one. I have to say, I’ve never had an experience quite like this one. Charles approached his lecture by connecting the five stages of community building to the five elements, as well as the gates of Persephone’s ascent and descent into the Underworld.

Charles’s presentation was an educational and inspirational walkthrough of the five stages of community building: from development to inception, through establishment and growth, and finally, mitosis. Each stage of community building was paired with questions to think about, as well as an element that matched the step. We were given practical steps to take when building community, as well as advice for challenges that might come up.

One thing that really stuck with me from this presentation was the growth stage. This stage brought up how sometimes, we don’t want to let go of what we created. As people, we find it hard to let someone else handle our creation, to add something new, or to change something that could be better. This is the stage of community building where new ideas happen, new members bring different perspectives to the group, and you might have to step back and delegate or be there for support. It was a good reminder that sometimes you have to take a step back and let go — pass the torch, if you will.

It reminds me of parenting, to be honest. The older my child gets, the more she wants to do. She wants more freedom, she wants more independence, and she wants to be able to make certain decisions on her own. As a parent, that’s hard! She’s my baby, you know? She’s my literal baby that I grew and raised and taught — and will continue to teach. Community groups can be like that sometimes. You create something wonderful, your baby, and it can be hard to let that baby grow and change. It’s hard, but it is a necessary step.

A Beautiful Experience

Looking back, I honestly don’t know why I was nervous. Maybe it’s because I’ve never done well in larger groups of people, or because I’m really awkward and anxious, but it honestly didn’t matter. Being in this group was like being with a group of good friends. Seriously – there were two people there whom I thought I had actually met before, but we had never met at all! It was pretty uncanny, but that’s the thing with spiritual places. Sometimes, things are just meant to happen.

I walked away from this Leadership Development Conference with some new friends, but I also left with something more important. I have been feeling a little lost with my spiritual direction. This isn’t anything new, to be honest. Moving around so much has left me feeling like I’m drifting in a sea of energy with nowhere to go, like I’m just along for the ride. By the end of the event, I had found a new sense of belonging and a new connection to an old part of myself that I hadn’t seen in a while. I know I have a purpose, and I know I’ve always been guided to help others in whatever capacity I can. It’s just nice to have that feeling again, to be spiritually connected to myself again. That is way more than I expected, and I’m so glad I worked up the courage to go and be present with everyone there.

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