The article on The Spiral Steps Support Groups is now up at The Witches' Voice:
Making a Sea Change: The Spiral Steps Support Groups.
Since then, 19 new members have joined the Spiral Steps Cyber Group: I wrote a note to Fritz and Dio over at Vox to say "Thank you." No one can get the word out like they can, and w'ere very grateful for their help and support.
One lady left the Spiral Steps group in anger last week when she found out that Spiral Steps wasn't a Wiccan's Only group, and that I also wouldn't let her use the group to promote her own event. (I wrote her about this privately so as not to embarrass her in front of the group and our correspondance went on for some time.) I reminded her of the group's focus on healing and recovery, and said that Buddhists, Pagan-friendly Christians, Shamans and others were welcome. The only requirement for membership is a desire for health and healing and a respect for EarthWise Ethics. She claimed I was repressing her religious freedom becuase I wouldn't list her event at SS and that she was tired of hearing about Christian picnics and events at her work. I reminded her that I had created an entire organization called Full Circle to promote Pagan events and that she could list her ritual there anytime she liked, for free. Meanwhile, she could talk all she wanted about her ritual to the support group she just couldn't use a support group as a venue to promote it or invite people to it. Again, I replied that we are not a newsgroup and please read the FAQ about "posting off topic". She said I wasn't supportive of Witches. (??!) I replied that I was one, thank you, and I've spent 10 years of my life, thousands of hours of my free time and many thousands of dollars of my own money building sites and groups that offered healing, networking, Pagan voter registration drives, and Pagan Pride events for the community, and that she was welcome to use these websites for free, as long as she respected our boundaries and practiced common courtesy and tolerance. I guess that was too much to ask. (Although I did note that she has now listed her group's event over at the FCE community calendar where it belongs).
Honestly...some people.
In any event, the article in the August Newsletter on Dysfunctional Behavior & the Pagan Scene has had so many hits that it almost crashed the site. We're fine now, though.
It seems to have struck a chord and people have been sharing the link with newsgroups and friends all over the net. One woman wrote it to tell me that she uses the article as a litmus test. She's found that the Problem Children hate it and the more healthy Pagans love it, so now she knows who is who. I hadn't seen it in quite that light but, hey, whatever works.
Ironically, some Pagans have been so eager to share an article on bad behavior among us that they stole it, and put it up verbatim on their websites. So my (Pagan) attorney spent some time last week reminding people about copyright law and karma. That problem is now fixed.
Meanwhile, our foster kittens, Daisy and Merlin, found great homes (and set a land speed record for shortest time in the shelter until adopted - 6 hours!). The Humane Society called us again a week later, and now we are hosting a black momma cat and her five kittens. This will be the last batch this year, as we are traveling through much of fall.
Sia
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