After the weekend of open houses at mosques, I decided to take in more of Minneapolis' religious diversity. I attended Pagan Pride at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community in Linden Hills. The event is aimed both at celebrating pagan identities and educating the broader community about the pagan community. The many myths and misconceptions about pagans that are common in our country mean that many face harrassment, hate crimes, job discrimination, etc.
Several hundred(I hear between 500 & 600) people took in this years festival. This event was sponsored by the Witches Interest Network and the Pan-Pagan Council of the Twin Cities. It was very interesting learning about the religious diversity within the pagan community. The day included workshops on interfaith tolerance, raising pagan children, various forms of divination, meditation, Twin Cities pagan history, & many other interesting topics. There also was entertainment venues featuring pagan artists and vendors selling everything from crystals & precious stones, cauldrons and ritual supplies, to clothing, books, and travel to pagan events. Another area featured panpagan nonprofit groups-such as Earth House PanPagan community center and the local pagan library, and various sectarian groups. Many rituals were held throughout the day at various locations with the larger rituals held in the sanctuay. A ritual in remberance of loved one's lost in the World Trade Center, and the loss of each individual's sense of security, was very moving. Another ceremony called for protection and skill for those working in the armed forces, security, firefighters, and medics. I wonder what Jerry Falwell would have thought of all those witches that stepped forward that are serving in our military! At any rate, It was very interesting to see all these witches coming out of "the broom closet" and excerising their rights to freedom of religion here in Minneapolis. I spoke to one of the organizers of the event and they were disappointed that there was no media that so much as called concerning the press release they had sent out to more than 200 local media contacts. Since the events goal was to educate the public about their faith to counteract the myths and sterotypes that lead to harrassment and discrimination against the community, I share this concern. Thanks, David Strand Loring Park Ward 7 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? NEW from Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month. http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
