Over the past months I have been part of many conversations
about building community infrastructure. These discussions often focus on our
lack of ability as a community to come together in support of efforts that benefit
the community as a whole but have a tenuous link to the interests of specific
communities. Our current tendency
of supporting only that, which has a clear “local” benefit, limits our ability
to achieve lasting infrastructure.
What if the community were to establish a “Web of Mutual Support”? This web would focus the community on
worthwhile projects that feature transparency and clear benefit to the larger
community; each of us shifting the focus of the web to new projects as they
arise. East coast projects would receive the support of the entire community in
building infrastructure and when a mid west project emerged the web would shift
its’ entire support to a new project.
What would the Pagan
world be like if such a national ethic of mutual aid were to emerge? Pagan land, worship centers, libraries
and Pagan emergency assistance projects could flourish, leaving a much more
stable community to future generations. Simple reciprocity of effort can
manifest a healthy community that allows for the growth of our community.
With this in mind I am proposing that the community engage
in a focused effort to support Christopher Penczak’s efforts to meet local
codes and open the new Temple of Witchcraft space. Funding a parking lot may sound like a mundane effort, but
establishing a lasting Pagan temple space benefits the entire community.
If you believe your community can benefit from a nation wide
effort to establish community space, I urge you to support this effort. One day soon it may be your local
community that needs the attention and support of the community. We need to
begin establishing this ethic and a project like this, with a well-established
organization, that is transparent and focused on community service is a great
place to start.
So lets boost this signal, share widely, post and re post,
contribute funds and write about establishing lasting and meaningful infrastructure.
To donate go here:
For more information go here:
We can do this!
11 comments:
Peter, if you want to set up a website of some sort specifically to bring attention to a campaign let me know. I'd be happy to help set that sort of thing up.
Also, I'm glad there's a lot of time left for the Temple of Witchcraft IndieGoGo campaign! I already donated to the Pagan TV one.
Hrm ... my above comment was unclear. I'm thinking of a site that would allow us to highlight not a specific campaign, but rather a way to highlight multiple campaigns (perhaps featuring one of them) in a centralized location.
That sounds like a FABULOUS idea to me.
I've been trying to come up with a good name for such a site but I haven't been able to yet. Send ideas my way and I can get it set up.
I'm excited by this notion and although I am a solitary I am willing to send out beams of light to spotlight projects. Let's do this.
Pagan Barn Raising?
I like the direction but I'm not sold on the specificity of the Amish connection.
Maybe something as simple as paganprojects.com? philanthropagan?
Peter, this is such a great idea. I think that mutuality and generosity of spirit are the greatest strengths I have seen again and again in the magical community. This is very much what we in the Goddess community have been doing with http://www.goddesswithoutborders.org and I'd be happy to participate in one of these initiatives for the wider community.
Maybe "paganswithoutborders," then?
I looked into paganprojects.com and that one is taken, but the other top-level domains are not (e.g. org and net).
My thoughts, exactly. I actually formed a Facebook group devoted to Pagan causes and charities located at https://www.facebook.com/PaganCausesAndCharities . I don't mean it to be the only such resource, but I was unable to find similar ones out there, so I started my own. I went the Facebook route because it's easy to setup and I'm a database guy, not a web guy. I don't do pretty. There's tremendous interest on this front and a good number of groups who are already doing great work. We just need to bring them into the pagan public's eye.
FYI - I've grabbed http://paganswithoutborders.org and will be, along with Terence (above) and anyone else who wants to get involved, trying to set up something like this. Track me down at dashifen(at)dashifen(dot)com if you're interested.
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