State of the Pizza Address.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

So I'm still pretty fucked up because of the pagans defending pedos thing.

It isn't an epiphany, it's a nightmare.

I've known about TCC almost as long as I've considered myself a pagan. When I was sixteen, I looked up to the elders there, especially Silverhands and Kardia. I thought Herne had his shit together and knew what it was all about. I have history with this place.

Over the years I wandered away from the site and occasionally popped back. It changed several times and for awhile it wasn't there at all. I found out Herne died and I was sad for it. Then I wandered back about a year ago and the forum was back up, though much changed and much diminished from its bustling former self.

I was looking to reconnect with the pagan community after leaving my coven in Iowa and thought there were several intelligent people worth knowing. I was also wrestling with something that would evolve into a crisis of faith (in people).

Hahaha. For those of you who went there, you know what it really was, and for those of you who never did go to TCC - I'll spare you details.

So I helped BH and Wyldkat form TSC, thinking it couldn't possibly be worse. We were all fairly level-headed people, after all, and had enough diversity amongst ourselves not to fuck everything up right off the bat.

And that lasted most of a month. After that, I realized work was kicking my ass and I didn't have the time or energy to weigh in on the stupid shit happening and provide original content. I stepped down.

Now I kinda wanna run screaming into the night and disavow the pagan label all together.

I don't know where I'm going with this . . . I just wanted to share my absolute disappointment, disgust and . . . I guess a sense of betrayal.

Pagans are just as fucking stupid as everyone else; more so because they think they've got their shit together and know what it's all about.

And there's some fucking Truth^TM for you.

[Freeky]

  -hugs-

[Don Coyote]

I know how you feel.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

I know how you feel.

You learn faster than I do.

[Epimetheus]

Non compis mentis ergo sum.

[Don Coyote]

I know how you feel.

You learn faster than I do.

I was less emotionally invested. It also helps when you follow the advice of a chaote, buy a book, follow the lessons in the book and then have your subconscious tell you that you are an asshole that likes to fuck with people.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

I know how you feel.

You learn faster than I do.

I was less emotionally invested. It also helps when you follow the advice of a chaote, buy a book, follow the lessons in the book and then have your subconscious tell you that you are an asshole that likes to fuck with people.

I used to be an asshole that liked to fuck with people, then I gave up my rage because pagans told me it would help me resolve my issues and be a happier/better person.

[Don Coyote]

I know how you feel.

You learn faster than I do.

I was less emotionally invested. It also helps when you follow the advice of a chaote, buy a book, follow the lessons in the book and then have your subconscious tell you that you are an asshole that likes to fuck with people.

I used to be an asshole that liked to fuck with people, then I gave up my rage because pagans told me it would help me resolve my issues and be a happier/better person.

We can see where that went. When you get angry about something, there might be a legit reason behind that.

[LMNO]

Now I kinda wanna run screaming into the night and disavow the pagan label all together.

Chapter 32
Chaos cannot be labeled,
because it contains all labels.
Therefore, all definitions are incomplete.
It's Gödels, all the way down.

Order and Disorder unite,
and Illusion slips into Chaos.
When people create language, labels begin.
With labels, one should know when to stop.
Knowing when to stop, the wise spags see the Illusion;
And are free to create as they choose.

[Luna]

Paganism tends to attract whackjobs because it does tend to be more accepting of differences.  This is not always a bad thing, but, as you've seen, can be taken to extremes.  This can happen in any group...  look at the Westboro Baptist Church for a Christian example of taking things too far in another direction.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Paganism tends to attract whackjobs because it does tend to be more accepting of differences.  This is not always a bad thing, but, as you've seen, can be taken to extremes.  This can happen in any group...  look at the Westboro Baptist Church for a Christian example of taking things too far in another direction.

Westboro breeds their own, though.

Internet paganism is a whole different thing. I know quite a few pagans who are lovely, level-headed people. The big difference; they don't associate with online pagans, and they don't seek to form hierarchical groups.

[Cramulus]

  ^
 |
that


I'm not a big fan of paganism, (in fact, most isms are iffy to me) but
I've met some pretty cool pagans

online, you find mostly spagans

same with christians - lots of them can be cool cats, but if you put them on a forum to discuss christianity, they're operating within a dogmatic and socially structured environment. And that encourages dogmatic and socially structured behavior.

I think there's something about this [forum] medium that encourages certain types of relationships. In a lot of places, I think it's status - your words are on display, and your words create an atmosphere, so you end up feeling kind of sensitive / territorial. The more you post, the more engaged in the community you get, the more victim you are to its social forces.

If it stops being fun, it's definitely time to step back and reorient yourself onto what's real and what's just some light on a screen.

[The Wizard Joseph]

So I'm still pretty fucked up because of the pagans defending pedos thing.

It isn't an epiphany, it's a nightmare.

Now I kinda wanna run screaming into the night and disavow the pagan label all together.

I don't know where I'm going with this . . . I just wanted to share my absolute disappointment, disgust and . . . I guess a sense of betrayal.

Pagans are just as fucking stupid as everyone else; more so because they think they've got their shit together and know what it's all about.

And there's some fucking Truth^TM for you.

( ) = simultaneous

You have my complete sympathy.  The points highlighted and their emotional impact immediately sent me back to my own times of doubt.  They became times of innovation, but only at the cost of my self image.  If there is any validity in Paganism, Christianity, or any other mystical or supernatural worldview it should be manifest in the behavior of it's practitioners.  Remember this can only be made true on an individual basis, yours!  Only you can liberate yourself from the disappointment you feel in others.  Only you can become the ideal you may want to see.  I don't really know you CPD, but I'd like to encourage you and remind you that every group has folks on the wrong side of the bell curve.