A crowd of more than 20 people gathers around an altar in the center of a room. On top of the altar rest a chalice, a dagger, seasonal fruits and vegetables, incense, a rattle gourd, and a block of marble in which a pentagram has been carved. The old building with its pinewood floors, high wooden beams, and Gothic ceiling offer the perfect setting for this ancient Pagan ceremony.
Michael McGreggor addresses the coven. "I would encourage everyone, in all your relationships with other people and other creatures, to get in touch with your energy and bring that energy to your relationships." He is leading the ritual.
"We are about to go into the dark time of the year," his wife Jean McGreggor says in response. "You've got to look out for yourself and take care of yourself and reflect on what's important and what you want to keep and what you want to let go of as you go into the darkness. Understand that it is a time of quiet and reflection in anticipation of new life and new light."
i am a solitary pagan and only get together with a group of my close friends when we have time. it is very hard in my job because my pagan beliefs are seen as a joke and not taken seriously by most of the people i work with. as i nurse we see life and death situations everyday. living in a strong fundementalist christian town. i get funny looks for my tattoos and my beleifs. i dont talk bad about there god and try very hard to honor there beliefs. i have prayed with priests and ministers when people are dying. i dont ever disrespect them in any way and have joked with the priest on many many occasions. but yet i am looked down upon for my own beliefs. it is a constant struggle. but recently i have been using protection oils at work in order to ward of bad intentions and negative feelings. now there are three of us using them and we check each other and say you oiled up? and the other people are one christian and one not sure. so in the end honor each others beliefs and lifestyles. i try to on a daily basis i just wish other people would do the same
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